Partners Offer Data-as-a-Service, Open Source Applications, Linux on Windows Azure

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Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc. has been working closely with the Windows Azure team to explore openness and taking interoperability to a new level.

Gianugo describes several announcements in his Port 25 blog post:

  • You can now use software from a new set of data services such as MySQL, CouchDB, and Apache Solr. Microsoft is partnering with leading companies such as Cleardb, Cloudant and Lucid Imagination to provide true data-as-a-service and enable you to build applications at scale without the worry of provisioning and maintaining their databases.
  • Or I you prefer to run software independently in your own instances, you you will find easy installation packages of Windows Azure-optimized versions of Apache CouchDB and Apache Solr. We also worked with 10gen to improve the installation experience of MongoDB. More importantly, both Microsoft and our partners are committed to always maintain full compatibility with the underlying Open Source applications so that our customers can always rest assured their data will work everywhere. With these technologies joining the existing pool of Windows Azure SQL Database and Apache Hadoop, Windows Azure is leading by leaps and bounds when it comes to data.
  • With Windows Azure Web Sites you can run popular Open Source applications in Windows Azure, including WordPress or Drupal, Joomla or Umbraco, DotNetNuke or PHPBB, or one of the many apps in the Web Sites gallery. You will now get to try the new releases of the Windows Azure open source SDKs (now including Python in addition to .NET, Java, PHP and Node.js) as well as the integration with Git.
  • A major update to the Windows Azure Plugin for Eclipse with Java (by Microsoft Open Technologies) includes a number of user feedback-driven improvements. Among them is a significantly revamped deployment experience contributed by GigaSpaces Technologies Ltd, an established leader in helping enterprises move their Java applications to the cloud. A new “publish to cloud” wizard makes it much easier for Windows Azure developers working with Java to deploy their projects to the Windows Azure cloud directly from Eclipse.
  • Windows Azure Virtual Machines— Virtual Machines give you application mobility, allowing you to move your virtual hard disks (VHDs) back and forth between on-premises and the cloud. Migrate your own customized Windows Server or Linux images, or select from a gallery. As a common virtualization file format, VHD has been adopted by hundreds of vendors and is a freely available specification covered under the Microsoft Open Specification Promise.
  • Windows Azure team is partnering with major Linux publishers to provideexperience, and I’m sure this will be a very exciting and ongoing story. On top of that, partners like BitRock are doing very interesting work to provide more choice: two initial Linux images are available for Bitnami, and we look forward to extending the catalog much further.
  • The Windows Azure Command Line Tools for Mac and Linux (the ones Windows Azure users will run on local machines to deploy and manage their Windows and Linux virtual machines): not only they are Open Source, but they are available right now for Mac and Linux clients.

For More Information

Learn more on the Windows Azure blog as well as on Gianugo’s Port 25 blog post.

Eclipse Plugin for Java Developers on Windows Azure

Gigaspaces Working with MS Open Tech on Java Tools for Windows Azure

Migrating HTML5-based applications to Windows Phone overnight with Apache Cordova and jQuery Mobile

OData submitted to OASIS for standardization

 

Bruce D. KyleTechnology Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation

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