Apple dropping deployment support for the dev tools in the next version of Mac OS X Server

Jul 8, 2009 06:59 GMT  ·  By

Apple is dropping support for its Java-based web application server in Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, with the release of the new OS in September, sources are telling AppleInsider. People familiar with Apple’s plans claim that WebObjects will disappear entirely in Snow Leopard Server, as Apple hasn’t mentioned anything of the deployment runtime, this year.

WebObjects is a web application framework that runs on the server. Available for free as part of the Xcode Developer Tools included with Apple's operating system, it boasts hallmark features such as deep object-orientation, powerful database connectivity, and rapid prototyping tools. Generally, applications created with WebObjects are deployed as websites, Java Web Start desktop applications, and/or standard-based web services.

As developers and Apple fans should know, WebObjects was originally priced at $50,000 per deployment license. Years later, Apple lowered the price of a WebObjects license to $699 and, in 2005, the dev tools became completely free, as Apple started bundling them with Mac OS X. The WebObjects development tools and frameworks are currently part of the install package for Apple's free Xcode IDE for Mac OS X. The deployment runtime is included with Mac OS X Server.

Now, people close to Apple are signaling that Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is not shipping with support for deploying WebObjects. Apple has used the object-oriented development tools and frameworks to build the iTunes Store, its Dot Mac site, iTunes U, and the App Store.

A number of key technologies that differentiate WebObjects from some application servers provide a series of advantages to developers. Leaving aside that the tools and frameworks required to develop and deploy WebObjects applications are free-of-charge, WebObjects also provides streamlined database access and the benefit of pure Java, which means apps can be deployed on any platform with a certified Java 2 virtual machine.