Sosnoski Software delivers Apache open source enhancements for Dutch government
Auckland consulting company Sosnoski Software Associates Limited is please to announce the completion of enhancements to
ApacheTM CXFTM open source software as commissioned by the government of the Netherlands. These enhancements have fixed
several errors in the Apache CXF implementation of Web Services Reliable Messaging (WSRM), brought it into compliance
with the latest WSRM 1.2 version, and also corrected long-standing problems in how the Apache CXF implementation
combines WS-Security with WSRM. The changes provide greatly enhanced interoperability for exchanging messages with other
software packages.
“Interoperability is the whole point of web services, so compliance with standards is crucial for every web services
implementation stack,” said Dennis Sosnoski, Director of Sosnoski Software Associates. “Apache CXF is one of the most
widely used stacks for Java software development, making it crucial that its support be top-notch. We're very pleased to
have been able to contribute major improvements to CXF in this area.”
“Enterprise open source software is usually developed by in-house staff at companies with a direct stake in the
software. It's great when other organizations can help fund independent work on features matching their needs and have
the results benefit the whole community.”
Dutch government shares e-development
Users of the Dutch government Digikoppeling electronic messaging standards had pointed out the
importance of adapting Apache CXF software for WSRM 1.2. The government information systems use Digikoppeling to
exchange messages; WSRM enables them to exchange messages in a reliable way.
This is why Logius, the digital government service, commissioned one of the developers of Apache CXF, Sosnoski Software
Associates, to adapt the software. “Logius is financed by communal funds.
It is therefore important that these funds are spent for the benefit of the community,” said Tom Peelen, lead architect
at Logius. “By releasing the software under an open-source license it can be used freely by other parties.”
Good for Dutch and European e-government and for businesses
The support of WSRM 1.2 is good news for European projects, such as the large-scale Peppol project in which the European
Union member states develop computerized procurement systems based on Apache CXF and WSRM 1.2. Businesses in and outside
Europe also benefit for their widespread use of Apache CXF and WSRM. “I really encourage this type of co-creation
project,” said Dennis Sosnoski. “It's great to show how high-value and widely useable software can be developed as an
open-source solution with extremely low costs, compared to very expensive commercial alternatives.”
“We're already seeing wider adoption of the WSRM standard for data exchanges within the Netherlands as a result of this
work,” said Tom Peelen. “There's also increasing interest by other EU governments in adopting the Dutch government
standards.”
About Sosnoski Software Associates
Sosnoski Software Associates assists organizations using webservices for all types of data exchange. They're Java web
services experts, providing consulting, training, and custom development services to companies worldwide from their base
in New Zealand. In addition to commercial work they contribute actively to the development of the open source Apache CXF
web services stack and other data exchange tools.
ends