WCS Development Framework ...

For a long time working with WCS storefronts meant learning and developing on top of a single framework, name-value pair controller and task commands. Later there were access beans and EJB's added to that line up. Now though looking into WCS you see what seems confusion of identity around the framework. This is because of the BOD and SDO and DSL framework.

Since IBM is always building and following new technology fads, their system has taken on multiple framework identities.

When WebSphere Commerce moved to Java, around 1999/2000, the controller commands and EJB's were the main part of the architecture. The EJB fad soon wore off in the industry. Therefore, around WCS 6 FEP 3 (about 2006/2007) IBM introduced the BOD framework. Now development of any new or changing module uses the BOD, SDO, and DSL framework. In addition, to help or further confuse, those components not rewritten now have BOD wrappers. The industry has continued to move on to newer technology (as expected) and now another framework has made way into the WCS mix, REST.

The REST services are using the BOD framework though so it does look like a natural progression. Even the catalog browsing is taking on the use of REST services. Is this good, is this bad or just confusing. I plan to post more on this coming up.

I plan to be posting more about the BOD framework which does look to be core to the new WebSphere Commerce architecture due to the systems goal of moving more to a Service Oriented Architecture.