I'm pleased to announce that we recently released the first Spring 3.0 release candidate (download page). This release completes the key Spring 3.0 feature set. You certainly remember the original Spring 3.0 themes REST and EL; in the meantime, we have been expanding the list significantly:

• Fully Java 5 based: This is the first Spring generation which requires Java 5 or above, with Java 5 syntax used in the entire Spring API as well as in the entire implementation codebase. For example, the BeanFactory API returns generically typed bean instances wherever possible, and ApplicationListeners may declare a specific event type using generics now. For a comparison: In Spring 2.5, the actual Spring core was still JDK 1.4 compatible, while a lot of higher-level functionality was built on Java 5.

• Spring expression language (SpEL): a core expression parser for use in bean definitions, allowing for references to nested bean structures (e.g. properties of other beans) as well as to environmental data structures (e.g. system property values) through a common #{...} syntax in property values. This also serves as a foundation for various expression-based features across the Spring project portfolio.

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We're pleased to announce that the first milestone of the Spring Security Kerberos Extension is now available for download. The release is also available through the Maven milestone repository at http://maven.springframework.org/milestone. With the Spring Security Kerberos Extension, your users are authenticated against your web application just by opening the URL. There is no need to enter a username/password and no need to install additional software.

Before going deeper into Kerberos, I would like to introduce Spring Security Extensions, a new Spring Extension project dedicated to provide…

I'm pleased to announce that beginning with its newly released 1.0.0.M6 version, Bundlor now supports OSGi Blueprint Service files.

As with the support for Spring-DM contexts, Bundlor scans for Blueprint Service configuration files in both the default location (OSGI-INF/blueprint/*.xml) and in locations specified with the custom Bundle-Blueprint manifest header. When these files are found, they are scanned for class and interface names and the packages for those types are added to the OSGi manifest that Bundlor creates.

For information about Bundlor and to download this latest milestone, please visit the Bundlor project page…

The last 100 days have been extraordinary for Hyperic. The events over the last three months place Hyperic in the unique position to be part of defining the future of application deployment and management. First, we announced in May that we were joining forces with SpringSource to build the next great full lifecycle enterprise software company. Judging by the response from our community, customers, partners, and the press, our combined "Build – Run ‑ Manage" strategy was the right choice and something the market has been waiting for.  Next, just a few weeks ago in August and barely 90 days…

In Rob's dm Server Roadmap blog entry, last April, we introduced two new artefact types: “plan” and “configuration file”.

Here is a short screencast demonstrating configuration files, in particular we show how to reference them from a plan.

First, a small web application picks up properties from a configuration properties file—deployed separately from the application. Second, the application and the properties are placed in the repository and a plan is constructed and deployed which installs and starts both the web application and its properties in one step.

Configuration Properties (5:59)

• QuickTime Screencast (42.9 MB)

Source Code

Git - git://git.springsource.org…

Since Andy's announcement of the early alpha version of a new and improved Groovy Eclipse plugin, we have received very good feedback from early adopters out of the Groovy and Grails community. Judging from comments and twitter buzz there really is a big interest in good quality Groovy language support on the Eclipse platform. Andy and Andrew made good progress during the last weeks and are heading towards an M1 release which is not far off; check out JIRA for more details on when to expect it.

We'd like to thank everybody who tried out the early version and took time to report problems and…

Today, we make another significant announcement. SpringSource is launching an enterprise Java cloud—SpringSource Cloud Foundry.

This initiative is a logical extension of our integrated Build/Run/Manage approach to unifying the application lifecycle, extending our vision of simplifying enterprise Java beyond the traditional data center. As cloud computing becomes more important, we want to ensure that Java developers can take full advantage of it. We believe that our leadership in Java development, coupled with our strength in the runtime and management phases, enables us to provide a…

If you want to understand at a strategic level what the implications of VMware’s recently announced acquisition of SpringSource are, there are several good sources, including Steve Herrod’s (CTO of VMware) blog post, Rod Johnson’s commentary, Paul Maritz’s press and analyst call, and Darryl Taft’s insightful piece in eWeek.

In this post I will focus more on what this all means at a technical level, to give you an idea of the kinds of capabilities you can look forward to.

Firstly, let me reiterate that nothing changes with respect to our open source projects and  SpringSource product offerings. Nothing changes that is, apart from the fact that we’ll have even more opportunity in the future to add exciting new features to them. Spring 3.0 is coming soon, and we just released milestone 4. dm Server is making rapid progress towards a 2.0 release, and we have some very cool stuff up our sleeves for a forthcoming release of tc Server. The Eclipse tool support for Groovy is generating masses of interest, Grails is pushing on towards a 1.2 release…

Today I want to share some exciting news. We have signed a definitive agreement with VMware, who will acquire SpringSource. Subject to regulatory approval, we expect the transaction to close in Q3. SpringSource will become a division within VMware. I will continue to lead SpringSource, reporting to VMware CEO Paul Maritz.

Today I would like to explain the vision and careful reasoning behind this deal: why it’s natural and logical; why it can lead to the creation of amazing technology that will immensely benefit users; why it’s good for Spring and other technologies SpringSource leads or contributes to; why it’s good for the Spring community…