A services start-up has certified four increasingly popular open source frameworks for "out-of-the-box" interoperability with Oracle's Java and middleware portfolio.

SourceLabs has added Oracle's Application Server 10g and Fusion Middleware to the latest edition of its Spring, Apache Axis, Struts and Hibernate (SASH) distribution, called SASH 1.1, that was released Thursday. SASH combines the four open source application frameworks in a stack that is integrated following a battery of tests spanning security, scalability and functionality. SourceLabs charges SASH customers for on-going support.

SourceLabs' goal is to help customers using open source with popular Java and middleware runtimes save time and money that they would otherwise spend integrating the open source frameworks with their application infrastructure.

Previous versions of SASH have certified the application frameworks on versions of BEA Systems' WebLogic Server and IBM's WebSphere application server, Oracle's database and a developer edition of Oracle's application server.

Oracle has dropped hints for almost a year that it might enter the field of certifying open source application frameworks to its software. Oracle has the market footprint and application portfolio to make a move worthwhile for many customers and to harm the growth potential of companies like SourceLabs.

Oracle, though, is making SASH 1.1 available for free download from its own web site, here. This indicates the value Oracle has placed on leaving certification of these frameworks with its own software to external specialists and that Oracle may not be quite ready to become directly involved in this particular activity just yet.®