Alfresco Introduces Java Open Source CMS and Content Repository

Alfresco, a provider of open source enterprise content management software, today announced the immediate availability of a technology preview of the Alfresco open source content repository and portal integrations.

Alfresco includes an enterprise-scale content repository, JSR-168 portlets for managing and using content, and a Common Internet File System (CIFS) interface that provides Microsoft Windows file system compatibility.

Alfresco developed the system using the latest Java technologies, including JBoss Application Server 4.0, JBoss Portal 2.0, Spring 1.2, Hibernate 3.0, MyFaces 1.0, Lucene 1.4 and Java 1.5.

“We took the lessons of building content management systems for the last 15 years and applied them to build an open source content management system that is easier to use, more scalable and more adaptable than what's commercially available today,” said John Newton, chief technology officer, Alfresco. “This preview release of the Alfresco system allows us to share our ideas with the open source and Java communities and to create an open dialog on where enterprise content management should head from here.”

John Powell, chief executive officer of Alfresco, commented: “Open source has changed the dynamics of the enterprise software market, including enterprise content management. By making the Alfresco system freely available, we intend to make enterprise content management affordable to all. This is tremendously important in a world facing increasing regulation and a glut of information.”

The preview release of the Alfresco system provides enterprise content management capabilities in JSR-168 compatible portals and JBoss Portal 2.0. Bob Bickel, vice president of corporate strategy and development at JBoss, Inc., said: “The Alfresco portlets are a model of ease of use and ease of programming. By using modern, standards-based programming models like JavaServer Faces and JSR-168, Alfresco is providing a very advanced, open and easy to use content management system that can fit into corporate environments.”

Adopting aspect-oriented programming as a foundation for adaptability, the Alfresco system uses the Spring Framework. Rod Johnson, Interface21 CEO and Spring Framework founder, said: “The Alfresco system takes full advantage of aspects to introduce new functionality, enable better testing and make changes to the system configurable rather than coded. Alfresco's use of the Spring Framework is ahead of the curve and I believe other enterprise systems can learn from their example.”

To provide easy access to the content management repository for end users, Alfresco has included support for the Common Internet File System standard, becoming the first open source system to do so. CIFS allows users to tap into the Alfresco repository as though they were accessing a shared drive, permitting off-line synchronization, drive mounting and access from any application. A rules-based engine provides automatic versioning, classification and control eliminating the manual work associated with content management systems.

The Alfresco system is available for immediate download from alfresco.org. Source code, executables and a wiki are available from the web site.

Alfresco Introduces Java Open Source CMS and Content Repository

Alfresco, a provider of open source enterprise content management software, today announced the immediate availability of a technology preview of the Alfresco open source content repository and portal integrations. \n\nAlfresco includes an enterprise-scale content repository, JSR-168 portlets for managing and using content, and a Common Internet File System (CIFS) interface that provides Microsoft Windows file system compatibility. \n\nAlfresco developed the system using the latest Java technologies, including JBoss Application Server 4.0, JBoss Portal 2.0, Spring 1.2, Hibernate 3.0, MyFaces 1.0, Lucene 1.4 and Java 1.5.

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