HP BUILDS A MIDDLEWARE FOUNDATION
The HP Foundation Program, introduced in April 1998, is HP's answer to the UNIX andWindows NT middleware muddle. It's built on HP Foundation Tools -- application developmenttools for simplifying enterprise Internet application development for UNIX systems byusing NT development tools -- and HP FoundationWare, which unifies application deploymentby using platform-neutral middleware spanning UNIX and NT systems. HP also has ISVrelationships with key middleware firms including BEA (San Jose, Calif.) and TIBCO (PaloAlto, Calif.). "Their functionality is something we talk about when we go into clientsites," says HP's Shellooe.
This past December, recognizing the importance of Web-enabling business applications,HP unveiled a worldwide distribution agreement that includes a developer license for theBEA WebLogic application server and a trial version of Symantec's VisualCafe EnterpriseSuite. This move represents the second phase of the HP Foundation Program. By offering theJava development and deployment tools most favored by Java developers, HP hopes to helpits customers optimize the deployment of Internet applications for the HP-UX and WindowsNT platforms.
As a result of the deal, registered HP-UX and Windows NT developers that purchase ayear of BEA "Developers Support 5x8" at $995 will receive a free license for BEAWebLogic, which supports the Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) standard. HP also offersunlimited time with a complete application-server development kit.
--S.J.A.