IBM has launched the early adopter program for U2JPA, which is planned for general availability at the end of this quarter. The Java Persistence API is a Java framework that allows developers to manage relational data. IBM is seeking participants who program in Java and are interested in testing the U2 Java Persistence API.
Because the early adopter program is run so far in advance of code freeze, it presents an important opportunity for the company to obtain feedback, Susie Siegesmund, director of U2 Data Servers and Tools, IBM tells 5 Minute Briefing. If someone comes back with a request for a capability that is not available initially, it can still be added, she explains. "Once we get to beta we have really gotten to code freeze, and we can fix bugs but we are really not going to add new features and functionality."
U2JPA will be part of IBM's UniVerse 11.1 release, which is expected to be released in early 2010, Dave Peters, product manager for U2 Data Servers, IBM, notes. "JPA is actually a new feature. It is not an existing feature in UniVerse or UniData. It is a relatively new standard for how Java would interact with the database so that is new all around, not just to us," Peters adds.
IBM has also announced that it is seeking beta testers for IBM UniData and UniVerse MultiValue add-ins for Visual Studio (U2.NET). This new release will increase the functionality in the terms of internationalization, improve the performance and ease of installation and administration, and also includes significant documentation enhancements.
Additionally, U2 University dates have been set for 2009. The first will be held in Denver, Colo., September 16-18; followed by Liverpool, U.K., October 13-15. The third is anticipated to be held in Sydney, Australia, November 17-19. The choice of Denver for the U.S. venue makes it possible for IBM U2 engineers to be speakers at the event, points out Siegesmund, who emphasizes it is important to get technical skills out to the community and enable participants to continue developing their applications. The continued development of applications to keep them up to date, she points out, "is really the lifeblood of everyone's business."
Customers who program in Java and are interested in participating in the early adopter program for the U2 Java Persistence API, as well as those interested in participating in the U2.NET beta, can contact the IBM U2 group by sending an email to u2askus@us.ibm.com. For more information about IBM's U2 product family, go here.