A Tangled Web

Fuji Milestone 2 is here!

Project Fuji is our exciting new OSGi-based technology which will form the foundation for the next-generation SOA integration platform, OpenESB v3. In Fuji Milestone 1, which we unveiled at JavaOne 2008, a simple yet powerful way to define services and link them together was introduced, including the option for web-based tooling.  The demo we built for Milestone 1 was based on technologies like RSS and XMPP. As cool as this was, it left some people wondering how this would apply to more classic integration scenarios.

Well now it's time for Fuji Milestone 2, and we have chosen a classic integration scenario to demonstrate how easily and quickly it can be solved using the powerful but simple to use capabilities of Fuji. On the  Fuji Milestone 2 page,  you will find a summary of all the slick new features, including:

• support for additional Enterprise Integration Patterns
• enhanced interceptor support
• lots of new NetBeans tooling features
• new support for distributed JBI
• a reactive runtime which automatically refreshes updated applications
• new service types (database, FTP, SMTP, HL7)
• IFL enhancements

From this page you can also watch a screencast of the demo in action, download the Milestone 2 distribution, and get a complete picture of the demo application, including step-by-step instructions for creating and running the demo yourself.

Also have a look at Andi's entry on Fuji Milestone 2, which includes further background info, and for you IFL fans, check out Chikkala's entry on the new IFL editor features.

And, as always, we welcome feedback on Project Fuji!

Posted at 07:40PM Oct 23, 2008 by mwhite in Open ESB  |  Comments[0]

Don't ride a rare bike to work....

I just learned a hard lesson the week before last - don't ride a rare, irreplaceable bike to work! I was on my way to the office on my newly-acquired 1996 Bimota BB1 Supermono on a sunny Tuesday morning, when all of a sudden a car changed lanes right into me. This was on I-238 between I-580 and I-880 where they're doing construction and there's no shoulder, just a temporary concrete divider. It happened so fast that I had almost no time to react, and the car hit my right side, knocking me straight towards the concrete divider. I managed to veer away from that but the bike went completely out of control (even though I couldn't have been going more than 35mph) and finally fell down on its left side. My helmet never even hit the pavement but I got some nasty bruises on my right thigh, left knee, right forearm, and both hands. Of course I was wearing full protective gear so there was no road rash. I'm lying on the pavement and the driver of the car stopped behind me, got out, ran up and asked if I was ok, then started apologizing, saying she didn't see me.

Eventually the paramedics and CHP arrived, and the paramedics insisted on strapping me to a backboard and taking me to the ER in an ambulance even though I had been walking around when they arrived. I should have just refused to go, there was nothing wrong with me other than some bruises. My bike got towed away, and I am sure I could have ridden it home even though the shift lever was broken.

Oh, and here's the really good part - the insurance information I was given by the other driver is invalid! Perfect. Add insult to injury. Thank you very much.

Here are a few pictures of the damage. It looks minor, but there's no way to get replacement bodywork, or even the decals for a full paint job. I'm trying to get a shift lever as it's the same one used on a few other Bimota models (you can see where it is broken off in the second picture). It might take some time to find a painter who can restore this to its original look. I may be able to get custom decals made too, at a cost. The only lucky thing is that the bodywork is not plastic, it's fiberglass, so it can be repaired.

Posted at 10:56PM Oct 08, 2008 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[2]

Had to have it

Being a long-time Bimota fan, I've always lusted for their only BMW-based model, the BB1, fondly known as the "Supermono". This bike was made from 1995 to 1997, and only 371 of them were made. It was never imported to the US, so the rare few that are in the US are grey-market. The bike is extremely light, and is powered by the Rotax-built single-cylinder 650cc water-cooled engine that powered the early models of the BMW F-650. In stock form, the engine is rather unexciting, delivering a whopping 48hp at the crank. But I just love the look of this bike.

One of the more interesting features of the Supermono is that the fuel tank is not above the engine like on most bikes, but below it! Yep, what's normally the belly pan on other bikes is the fuel tank on this one. This keeps the center of gravity extremely low and makes the bike so flick-able it feels almost like a bicycle.

Back in August, I saw a post on a Bimota mail list I'm subscribed to by a guy down in the LA area who was selling his Supermono. This one caught my eye because not only was it in excellent condition, but also had a pumped-up engine built by Ron Wood (a well-known Rotax 650 engine guy) that delivered 60hp to the rear wheel. With dual Keihen FCR flatslide carbs, a ported head, high-compression piston, and custom exhaust, this one sounded like a dream. I emailed the seller and got a bunch of photos of the bike, and became pretty certain that I was going to buy it.

I couldn't get down to LA for a month or so but he said that was ok as long as I sent him a small deposit. Finally the weekend of September 7, I drove down to LA with my empty bike trailer behind my gas-guzzler Jeep (sorry, I only own it for towing bikes to the track and such). As soon as I saw the bike and heard it start up I was hooked. We loaded it up and I wrote a check for the balance and headed home. 

I took this thing for a ride the next day and it was a total kick - vibrates like hell, sounds fantastic, and is surprisingly quick. It's so light that it's effortless to turn. My 800-mile round-trip drive to LA to pick up the bike was definitely worth it. No buyer's remorse on this deal!

Posted at 10:55PM Oct 08, 2008 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[0]

GlassFish ESB Milestone 2 available for download

Good news! GlassFish ESB Milestone 2 is now available for download.

Milestone 2 includes a lot of improvements and bug fixes compared with Milestone 1. A list of improvements can be found in the release notes.

The next milestone will be the release candidate, and should be available in four weeks.

Please download Milestone 2, give it a spin, and please, please provide feedback! Issues found in this phase of the release can be solved easily. After the release, it will be a more difficult to get changes into the download. Feedback can be posted on the users mailing list.

Posted at 12:02PM Oct 08, 2008 by mwhite in Open ESB  |  Comments[0]