IBM releases WebSphere Studio 5.0

September 24 — Version 5.0 of IBM’s WebSphere Studio software for developing Web applications is available, featuring new tools for working with legacy applications written in Cobol and PL1 (Programming Language 1), and support for the latest batch of open source standards and software.

WebSphere Studio 5.0 is the first piece of IBM’s WebSphere 5.0 line to launch and will be followed soon by other products, including WebSphere Application Server 5.0, a version of which is built into the new WebSphere Studio.

The software comes in two versions. WebSphere Studio Application Developer is for building, testing, debugging, and deploying Java and J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) applications. The more advanced IBM WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer includes additional tools for working with legacy applications.

Version 5.0 brings to WebSphere Studio new features for coordinating the workflow of multiple backend applications. It also adds support for J2EE, Version 7.2 of both Red Hat Linux and SuSE Linux, Version 2.0 of the IBM-backed Eclipse open source IDE, and several new Web services standards.

The new WebSphere Studio’s key advantage is its openness, said WebSphere Director of Marketing Scott Hebner. More than 175 plug-ins from vendors—including Rational Software, Interwoven,and Macromedia—are now compatible with Eclipse, giving developers significant customization choices and the freedom to focus on building applications rather than integrating tools, he said.

“We think the big [advantage] here as we go forward is a huge development community that is not aligned to any specific vendor. That’s a direct alternative to the Microsoft development community,” Hebner said. “Over time, when it comes to e-business infrastructure, we think this is essentially going to be a Microsoft versus IBM decision. Eclipse is a completely open alternative to the Microsoft environment.”

WebSphere Studio Application Developer 5.0, available now, is priced at ,499 per user. WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer 5.0, scheduled for release September 30, will retail for ,500 per user.

In October, IBM plans to release two new tools for analysis and fine-tuning of backend applications: WebSphere Studio Application Monitor for z/OS—an IBM operating system—and WebSphere Studio Workload Simulator for z/OS. Pricing for those two products has not yet been announced.