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About Project Zero and WebSphere sMash

Project Zero began life as an incubator project to explore a new idea that we believed had promise. That idea was of a development and runtime environment that could revolutionize creation of dynamic web applications -- providing a powerful development and execution platform for modern Web applications while at the same time having the overall experience of being radically simple. We started this incubator because we wanted to address the complexities of modern Web applications without the chains of previous architectures, technologies, or decisions.





We're using ProjectZero.org to incubate the technology, offering an open window into the development process, the code and the developers. You can be as involved as you like, from 'just looking' to 'fully engaged'. From anonymous download to registered users, trying the code, reviewing the source, giving feedback, sharing experiences, making recommendations and providing requirements. We've delivered multiple versions of IBM WebSphere sMash based on the work here and we have active code in development.

The Offerings

WebSphere sMash is delivered in 3 different forms - a Licensed Program Product, a Developer Edition, and our ongoing development drivers:

  • IBM WebSphere sMash is a fully licensed retail product, based on the technology introduced here at projectzero.org. It consists of only stable modules for production deployment, giving businesses the opportunity to deploy this innovative technology, to simplify their application creation, and greatly improve their time to value.. Learn more about the value proposition and purchasing WebSphere sMash at the WebSphere sMash product page on IBM.com.
  • IBM WebSphere sMash Developer Edition 1.1 is a stable build of WebSphere sMash available from the projectzero.org download page. It provides access to the tooling for development of WebSphere sMash applications and is free for development use and limited deployment (see license for details). When using a WebSphere sMash DE 1.1, stable applications will be built with modules from the sMash 1.1 repository on projectzero.org. Experimental applications will be built with modules from the Sebring repository. Most of our community users will download and run sMash DE 1.1.
  • LeMans is our current release under development and the focus of the development team efforts. It provides access to the latest fixes and features which will be delivered as updates to sMash 1.1. When using LeMans, stable applications will be based on modules in the LeMans repository on ProjectZero.org. Experimental applications will leverage experimental modules from the Sebring repository. LeMans drivers are generated from a continuous build cycle and are freely downloadable for development use and limited deployment from the LeMans download page (see license for details). Users interested in sMash 1.1 enhancements or problems will want to use LeMans to see whats coming soon.
  • Sebring is the codestream where we introduce experimental modules for evaluation and possible delivery in the future. These modules can be accessed by creating Experimental applications with either sMash 1.1 or LeMans. We serve the latest version of the Getting Started Guide and AppBuilder for sMash 1.1 and LeMans from the Sebring tree.
  • Our previous code streams were Monaco, which became WebSphere sMash v1.0, and Silverstone which became WebSphere sMash v1.1.

We will continue to use projectzero.org as a technology incubator delivering frequent builds of the latest technology and offering users a chance to participate in the community, get help and give feedback.

Community-Driven Commercial Development

This community is an experiment in a new way to build commercial software, an approach we are calling Community-Driven Commercial Development.

Community-Driven means that we want feedback, insight, suggestions, criticism, and dialogs with you, the users of Project Zero. This interaction will yield a better solution that targets the problems you have and a technology that truly delivers on its objectives.

Commercial means that this is not an open source project. We are still building commercial software here, as the licensing makes clear, but we are doing it in a more transparent fashion. This transparency provides a way for you to influence the project much earlier in its life cycle. It also serves a role in our notions of radical simplicity. Every discussion, every technology decision, and the full history of this technology will be accessible, searchable, and preserved on this site. This means that finding answers to your questions will never be more than a search away.

Development means that this community is about the technology and how it is developed and evolves. This is not a product community. It is not the place for the finished item, but rather the lab where it will grow.

Want to know more? Check out the Frequently asked questions (FAQ) or see the Developer's Guide.

The Team

The Project Zero team is a group of software engineers dedicated to making the next generation of dynamic Web applications easier to develop. Spanning the globe, from Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to Hawthorne, New York to Hursley, England to Haifa, Israel to Beijing, China, the team is working together to simplify Web development. Read the Project Zero blog.

The Sponsors

Jerry Cuomo
 Jerry Cuomo is an IBM Fellow and CTO for the WebSphere brand. He is also the director of the WebSphere Technology Institute, whose mission is to cultivate the future by identifying and developing advanced technologies like Project Zero. He has spent 20 years at IBM working on advanced technology software, including breakthrough innovations in the areas of TCP/IP, real-time collaboration software, and high-performance transactional systems. Jerry is passionate about radically simplifying the consumption of middleware using appliances, virtualization, and Web 2.0 technologies.
Read Jerry's blog posts.
Jason McGee
 Jason R McGee is a Distinguished Engineer in IBM's Software Group. He is the Chief Architect and Director of Development responsible for Project Zero and WebSphere Extended Deployment. Jason has spent over 10 years in IBM working on application servers, Web and middleware technologies, Java and application development. Jason is passionate about exploring new ways to build Web applications that are both simple and powerful, and that leverage the full power of the Web.
Read Jason's blog posts.
Marc-Thomas Schmidt
 Marc-Thomas Schmidt is a Distinguished Engineer in IBM's Software Group. Marc-Thomas serves as Chief Architect for the WebSphere ESB products, WebSphere Service Registry, and the Project Zero Assemble components. He has spent 20 years at IBM working on integration middleware in support of process management, service integration and metadata management. Marc-Thomas is passionate about enabling service consumers to build applications they need by applying Web 2.0 concepts to assemble existing services & information.
Read Marc-Thomas's blog posts.

Invitation to Participate

We are glad that you have found your way to our community. We encourage you to play and participate. Download WebSphere sMash DE or LeMans, build your applications, and tell us about your experiences in our forums. Are we on the right track? Did we make your life easier? What is that one thing you love (or hate) about Project Zero and WebSphere sMash? Let us know. Together we will build something truly revolutionary.

Trademarks

The listed trademarks of the following companies require marking and attribution:

  • Adobe, the Adobe logo, PostScript, and the PostScript logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States, and/or other countries.
  • Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Intel Centrino, Intel Centrino logo, Celeron, Intel Xeon, Intel SpeedStep, Itanium, and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Intel Trademark Information
  • Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both.
  • Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both.
  • Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Microsoft Trademark Guidelines
  • UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.

Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

Contact

If you can't find the information you are looking for in the FAQ, the Forum, or the Documentation, please email us at zero@us.ibm.com.