Project Zero is:
..about agile development of the next generation of dynamic Web applications. Project Zero introduces a simple environment for creating, assembling and running applications based on popular Web technologies. The Project Zero environment includes a scripting runtime for Groovy and PHP with application programming interfaces optimized for producing REST-style services, integration mash-ups and rich Web interfaces.
Why the brew-ha-ha about yet another runtime? My interpretation of the goal of Project Zero is to take the enterprise concepts contained in a “heavy-weight’ solution like WebSphere and let those concepts be run on a light-weight server using scripting languages and an XPath-like syntax. The goal is to bring the cost of integration solutions for small to medium sized business down by stripping out and simplifying the interface to the runtime.
Project Zero simplifies next-generation Web application development and increases developer productivity by providing:
* A simplified approach to development through the introduction of agile programming and assembly techniques which are attractive to Web developers.
* A platform optimized around popular technologies found on the Web that are recognized for their ability to lower complexity and shorten development time. This platform uses REST and ATOM to form the basis of the service invocation model; JSON and XML as the data interchange format; and Ajax as the model for a rich client.
* Building blocks that enable developers to get applications up and running quickly by leveraging reusable components such as code snippets, widgets, libraries, templates and pre-built services.
One of my goals this year is to get more familiar with Project Zero. I only know about it from marketing slides and ‘firehose’ presentations at conferences. It sounds like a very intriguing product.
