ObjectWeb and Orientware have announced their decision to build a common open source middleware platform. Orientware has also agreed to release several of its middleware components in open source.

Those middleware components include PKUAS, StarCCM, XLinker, WSWF and OnceTX.

The companies say this cooperation between the two consortia is supported by the Chinese Ministry Of Science and Technology and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry.

In the presence of Ma Songde, vice minister of the China Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control, the companies last week signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the adoption of open-source middleware worldwide.

INRIA and HTRDP respectively act as representatives of ObjectWeb, an international consortium dedicated to open-source infrastructure software, and Orientware, a Chinese consortium which aims at integrating the results of Program 863 in the domain of middleware.

In order to build next generation middleware platforms suited to these constraints, ObjectWeb and Orientware will work to share and integrate their code bases. Partners will set up joint research projects on topics of common interests such as component models, web services, workflow, transactions, J2EE, mobile agents and Grid computing.

This collaboration is to be formally kicked off by a cross membership between ObjectWeb and Orientware.

A technology committee composed of experts from both sides will coordinate technical aspects of the cooperation.

Founded in 2002 by Bull, France Telecom and INRIA, ObjectWeb is a consortium of leading companies and research organizations from around the world who have joined forces to produce next generation of Open Source Middleware. ObjectWeb's goal is to provide Real-Time Enterprises with independent solutions which combine quality and robustness at the best possible performance/cost ratio.

Orientware is an open organization that integrates the mature results achieved by the 863 Program in the domain of middleware by universities and institutes such as Beihang University, Peking University, the Institute of software of Chinese Academy of Sciences and China's National University of Defense Technology.