+1 On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Sander W G van der Waal <sander.vanderw...@oucs.ox.ac.uk> wrote: > +1 (non-binding) > > Sander > >> From: Ross Gardler [mailto:rgard...@apache.org] >> Sent: 08 November 2010 23:37 >> To: general@incubator.apache.org >> Subject: [Proposal] Accept Jena into the Incubator >> >> I am pleased to offer, for your consideration, the following proposal to >> accept Jena, a semantic web framework into the incubator. The text of >> the proposal is copied here for your convenience and can be found at >> http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/JenaProposal >> >> We currently have two mentors so we're looking for at least one more. >> >> Note that there is already an overlapping discussion about interaction >> between this and other semantic web projects in the incubator. As >> champion of this proposal I have recommended that the Jena team >> participate in this discussion. I'm not able to speak for the Jena >> committers, but I am keen to see *appropriate* sharing of code between >> projects. >> >> However, I don't believe that this should be forced upon the three >> projects as part of their incubation. Such collaboration should emerge >> through community engagement, with mentor guidance, rather than through >> incubator conditions of entry or graduation. >> >> Comments and volunteers welcome. >> >> Now for the proposal: >> >> = Jena, a Semantic Web Framework = >> == Abstract == >> Jena is a semantic web framework for Java, based on W3C standards. >> >> == Proposal == >> Jena provides a semantic web framework in Java that implements the key >> W3C recommendations for the core semantic web technologies of RDF and >> SPARQL. Jena is a number of components and modules built on this core >> system. It currently includes: >> >> * an API for working with RDF >> * Parsers and writers for the RDF formats (RDF/XML, Turtle, N-triples, >> NQuads, TriG) >> * an implementation of SPARQL, the W3C standard RDF query language >> * multiple storage systems for RDF data including in-memory, >> file-backed, in SQL databases and in custom scalable storage systems >> * an API for manipulation of OWL >> * a rule-based inference engine >> * an implementation of GRDDL for extraction of RDF from XML formats >> * a standards compliant IRI library. >> >> The project includes facilities based around this core to encourage the >> creation of components and contributions both as part of Jena and also >> as companion open source activities. >> >> This proposal includes the main components of Jena: the main Jena >> download, ARQ, GRDDL, SDB, TDB, the IRI library and Joseki. Other >> components may be contributed later - we're just starting with the main >> part of Jena for now. >> >> == Background == >> The W3C recommendations provide detailed specifications and it is >> important to follow these standards so that independently built >> applications can exchange data over the web. Jena provides high quality >> Java implementations of RDF input/output and storage so that >> application writers can concentrate on the application, not the >> low-level details. >> >> W3C Semantic Web: http://www.w3.org/standards/semanticweb/ >> >> Jena has been on !SourceForge since 2001. >> http://sourceforge.net/projects/jena/ >> >> == Rationale == >> The open source project was originally created as part of a research >> activity in HPLabs. In building new systems, the researchers identified >> the value of a common platform that dealt with the low level details >> of the standards. This lead to engagement with the standards process >> and the creation of a framework that provided a library to deal with >> the details of semantic web standards. This work was released as Jena. >> The developers have contributed implementation experience back to the >> working groups. >> >> None of the contributors now work for HP. Providing a uniform >> contributor and licensing framework assists commercial use of Jena. >> >> == Current Status == >> Jena is already an established project with a large user base in >> industry and academia. It currently uses a BSD-style three-clause >> license with a number of contributing copyright holders. Support is >> primarily provided via the jena-...@groups.yahoo.com mailing list. The >> majority of the team was employed in HPLabs, and HP holds the majority >> of the copyright over the code - there are contributions from non-HP >> companies. HP decided to close the research group as of October 2009 >> and the people from HPLabs connected with the project have moved on to >> several different semantic web companies. >> >> This change does not immediately affect Jena because the people who were >> in HP still remain active contributors to Jena. The project continues >> to be supported and actively enhanced. There is now the opportunity to >> become an open source project without a single large organisation >> involved. >> >> === Meritocracy === >> The Jena team has always been self-determining; there has not been a >> project manager in charge of the effort. Instead, it has grown through >> individuals contributing to the codebase as part of their research >> activities. The team has organised itself to create the framework for >> builds, releases and public support, and people who had worked on Jena >> in HP, and moved to other companies and institutions, have continued to >> contribute. >> >> === Core developers === >> >> Jena originated within a research activity in HPLabs, starting around 2000. >> Contributors to jena have been active in W3C working groups including >> chairing the "RDF Core" working group and acting as document editors on >> several other working groups. W3C processes are public; jena contributors >> have been involved in public debate and decision making. People have since >> moved on from HP to several semantic web forced companies and to university >> positions. >> >> === Alignment === >> Jena is already in use in many commercial systems as well as widely used >> in academic research and teaching. We want to continue making this >> easy and at the same time encourage contribution in a well-known >> environment. >> >> Jena is already pretty much run in a collaborative open development >> style with communication on mailing lists. >> >> == Known Risks == >> === Orphaned products & Reliance on Salaried Developers === >> Jena is in use by companies we work for so the companies have an >> interest in its continued vitality. >> >> The Jena team members are not employed to work on Jena specifically; >> while there is some development as part of their day-jobs, the team >> members do also contribute personal time as well. >> >> === Inexperience with Open Source === >> While Jena has been open-source since 2001, the majority of individuals >> involved do not have wide experience of contributing to other open >> source projects, so the team members need to develop more skills in >> participating in open-source communities. >> >> === Relationships with Other Apache Products === >> Jena uses Xerces, Lucene, Apache Commons HttpClient and Apache Commons >> FileUpload. >> >> Jena is used by Clerezza (in incubation). >> >> === A Excessive Fascination with the Apache Brand === >> Jena has an established community of users and is used in both academic >> and commercial settings. The Apache environment offers Jena the >> opportunity to expand the ways that more people can be involved and >> contribute, and hence to ensure the project is not dependent on the >> current members. We hope that association with Apache will also >> encourage other open source projects that use Jena to help develop a >> healthy and vibrant semantic web open source ecosystem. >> >> Apache offers us a clear licensing framework and support infrastructure >> which would reassure the many users of Jena who exploit it in commercial >> environments as well as those in other open source projects. >> >> == Documentation == >> Overview documentation, tutorials, topic-based how-tos and detailed >> !JavaDoc can be found at http://openjena.org/ >> >> == Initial Source == >> The majority of the current codebase resides in the Jena project CVS/SVN >> on !SourceForge. Joseki is also on !SourceForge; we later decided to >> put all projects under one SF project so this is a historical anomaly. >> The modules in the initial source are: >> >> * [[http://jena.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/jena/|Jena CVS area on >> SourceForge]] >> * jena2 (the core system, include RDF, rules and OWL subsystems) >> * iri (the IRI library) >> * Eyeball and !EyeballAcceptance (a checker for RDF) >> * [[http://jena.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/jena/|Jena SVN area on >> SourceForge]] >> * ARQ (SPARQL query and update engine) >> * Fuseki (SPARQL server) >> * grddl (GRDDL implementation for Jena) >> * SDB (SQL database layer for Jena) >> * TDB (customer storage layer for Jena) >> * Ymris (experimental rules engine) >> * Experimental/Jena3 (experiment reorganisation of jena) >> * [[http://joseki.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/joseki/Joseki3/|Joseki >> CVS area on SourceForge]] >> * Joseki3 module. >> >> == Source and Intellectual Property Submission Plan == >> >> We are in discussions with HP, the largest copyright holder, about >> licensing to Apache and currently HP has indicated that it is willing to >> do so in principle. >> >> == External Dependencies == >> Details of license of components used by Jena are available at: >> http://openjena.org/Licenses/index.html >> >> The Jena GRDDL Reader has some additional dependencies: >> http://jena.sourceforge.net/grddl/license.html >> >> We are heavily dependent on Xerces for both parsing and also for XML >> datatype support. >> >> == Cryptography == >> No specific cryptography. >> >> == Required Resources == >> Mailing lists >> >> * jena-private (with moderated subscriptions) >> * jena-dev >> * jena-commits >> * jena-user >> >> Subversion Directory >> >> * jena >> >> Issue Tracking >> >> * JIRA >> >> Other Resources >> >> * Hudson >> >> == Initial Committers == >> >> The intial committers are the currently active developers for Jena. >> >> * Chris Dollin >> * Paolo Castagna >> * Damian Steer >> * Jeremy Carroll >> * Ian Dickinson >> * Dave Reynolds >> * Andy Seaborne >> >> == Affiliations == >> >> * Epimorphics Ltd: Dave Reynolds, Ian Dickinson, Chris Dollin, Andy >> Seaborne >> * Talis Systems Ltd: Paolo Castagna >> * University of Bristol: Damian Steer >> * Top``Quadrant Inc: Jeremy Carroll >> >> == Sponsors == >> === Champion === >> Ross Gardler (rgardler .at. apache.org >> >> === Nominated Mentors === >> * Bertrand Delacretaz bdelacretaz .at. apache.org >> * Leo Simons leosimons .at. apache.org >> >> === Sponsoring Entity === >> Incubator PMC >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: general-unsubscr...@incubator.apache.org >> For additional commands, e-mail: general-h...@incubator.apache.org > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: general-unsubscr...@incubator.apache.org > For additional commands, e-mail: general-h...@incubator.apache.org > >
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