WebSphere Revolution

WebSphere Takes the Stage Today, IBM WebSphere Application Server is an agile, flexible, reliable, secure, and scalable enterprise-class foundation for an Internet business infrastructure. Over 100,000 customers rely on WebSphere Application Server day in and day out. And it’s an essential product in IBM’s software business. Then, over the next year or so, a whole new breed of HTTP products including Bluestone, SilverStream, NetDynamics, and others began to appear. These second generation HTTP servers were called “Web application servers” and they provided more advanced capabilities than the earlier HTTP servers in areas such as session control and support for the Java programming language. But IBM wasn’t there yet. Steve Mills explains, “We didn’t have a second-generation product. We were experimenting with Web Object Manager in research and Internet Connection Server in Raleigh but we weren’t making much progress.” Steve’s gut instincts told him that something very big was underway and that the market was shifting. Things were moving fast and an opportunity was clearly at hand. So in January 1998, Steve called Chris Wicher, then Director of the IBM Software Development Lab, and said, “Go figure out what’s happening on the Internet and tell me what you think we need to do.” So Chris’s team of 19 people (an unusually small team for IBM) began to explore, think, and experiment at their development lab in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Internet was driving a fundamental change in the business world and IBM needed to become a leader in this new arena. But it wasn’t always like this The Internet frenzy spurred many businesses to begin experimenting with ways to leverage this new phenomenon. It was a wild west show of many ideas some brilliant, some not so brilliant, and some just crazy. For many, the boundaries between fantasy and business were becoming increasingly blurred. But for those who could see through the madness, it was clear that the Internet was becoming something very big for real business. By 1996 shipping companies like Federal Express and UPS were already adding Web interfaces to their existing enterprise applications so that customers could track their packages online without having to make a phone call. And hotels were allowing their customers to book rooms over the Web. People were able to get information anytime they wanted, 24 hours a day and they were liking it and they were wanting more. “We knew we were onto something big, something our clients really needed— we were going to get it to market fast .“ —Chris Wicher, then Director, IBM Software Development Lab 1996 Number of Internet users reaches 36 million. 1996 Shipping companies and hotels are extending their online services. 1997 Comet Hale-BOPP passes nearby Earth. 1998 Steve Mills asks Chris Wicher to plot an Internet course for IBM software. 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of WebSphere Revolution

WebSphere Revolution Table of Contents The Rise of Internet Business WebSphere Takes the Stage WebSphere Application Server Evolves Beyond the Application Server WebSphere and On Demand Business New Flexibility through SOA An Eye Toward the Future

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