JSR107 JCache Update 9 May 2011

For those not involved in the expert group or following on the Google Group (jsr107@googlegroups.com), here is an update.
As usual the actual specification in all of it’s evolving glory can also be viewed at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YZ-lrH6nW871Vd9Z34Og_EqbX_kxxJi55UrSn4yL2Ak/edit?hl=en . Some people find working on and editing a spec in plain view “appalling” but I like it. It is like a nightly build in open source.
And the API and code is on GitHub: https://github.com/jsr107/jsr107spec

Workshops

We have been workshopping through the spec. Everyone on both the Google or EG mailing lists was invited. Physically or on the calls Friday and today have been EG and non-EG members:

Greg Luck (Ehcache and Terracotta)
Yannis Cosmadopolous (Oracle)
Christa (Oracle)
Ben Cotton
David Mossakowski (Citibank)
Richard Hightower
Ludovic Orban (Terracotta and Bitronix)

Specification Sections for Review

We have made a lot of progress. The spec is now 51 pages long.
Two of the most difficult areas have been mostly done. They are:
  • Chapter 5 – JTA. This is ready for review.
  • Chapter 8 – Annotations. This is complete but needs reformatting and TODOs done. It and the associated spec interfaces should be ready for review on Monday.

Significant Developments

There are also two significant developments:
1. Two versions with different API Packaging.
So that caching can easily be done in SE, we are considering having a jcache-api.jar which includes mandatory parts of the spec and a jcache-api-ee.jar which will include both mandatory and optional APIs. The latter takes up annotations and JTA. These can still be included in non-EE apps like Spring or SE but there will be significant dependencies that those environments would need to add.
2. Map vs Map-like
No one involved in the workshops likes Map. We are enumerating the reasons and proposing a new map-like Cache interface. That is being documented in the next few days. Add comments to the spec doc if you have them.

Next Meeting

The easiest way for you to get involved is at the next meeting which is 10am Pacific Standard time this Thursday.
Some topics for the next meeting:
  1. Reviewing comments added to the Google Doc
  2. Classloading
  3. Configuration
  4. Lifecycle

 

By Greg Luck

As Terracotta’s CTO, Greg (@gregrluck) is entrusted with understanding market and technology forces and the business drivers that impact Terracotta’s product innovation and customer success. He helps shape company and technology strategy and designs many of the features in Terracotta’s products. Greg came to Terracotta on the acquisition of the popular caching project Ehcache which he founded in 2003. Prior to joining Terracotta, Greg served as Chief Architect at Australian online travel giant Wotif.com. He also served as a lead consultant for ThoughtWorks on accounts in the United States and Australia, was CIO at Virgin Blue, Tempo Services, Stamford Hotels and Resorts and Australian Resorts and spent seven years as a Chartered Accountant in KPMG’s small business and insolvency divisions. He is a regular speaker at conferences and contributor of articles to the technical press.