Ubuntu to include enterprise Java

Linux fans will be pleased at news coming out of OSCON that the popular Ubuntu distribution is to get a fully-fledged Java Enterprise Edition framework built-in.

According to comments made by the Canonical's server engineering manager Rick Clark and reported by The Register today, the company is hoping to provide a full Java EE framework in the 9.04 release of the software due in April 2009. While Apache Tomcat is due for inclusion in the 8.10 release due in October, and provides users with a Java serverlet container, Clark has stated that the company considers it “very important [...] to get a full Java stack out of the box.”

Although Canonical is keeping shtum on exactly which framework it's likely to pick, The Register predicts that Sun's GlassFish 3.0 is a leading contender. It certainly ticks all the boxes, and the company already distributes the Sun-owned open-source database package MySQL with its server-oriented distribution. GlassFish is also lightweight and easy to maintain compared to some other Java EE implementations like Apache's Geronimo, with an average install needing just 40 .jar packages compared to the 280 required by Geronimo.

The beauty of Linux is its customisability and modularity, of course, and there's nothing to stop users manually adding a Java EE framework to their Ubuntu install right now – but corporate users like to see that a single product offers them everything they need, with guaranteed compatibility and full support if things go pear-shaped. With this in mind, it's clear to see that if Canonical select the right Java EE platform, we could see enterprise use of Ubuntu skyrocket.

While you're waiting for the 9.04 release to see what platform made it into the distribution, you'll have to settle for a manual install of your favourite Java stack.

Any enterprise users here hoping for a stable, open-source operating system with a full Sun-approved Java stack, or do you all use WebLogic or WebSphere? Share your thoughts over in the forums.