SiliconGrassland.com

I’ve been asked this question a lot recently. Middleware is a notoriously obscure word that gets thrown around in tech circles. However most mere mortals really have no desire to learn what the jargon actually means.

DataSync builds middleware, so it’s important to me that the masses see the light. According to Wikipedia, middleware is “computer software that connects software components or applications”. That’s almost circular logic (software that connects software to software??). This definition confuses me.

Let me make my own attempt: middleware connects the dots between software applications. In other words, middleware is the glue that connects software to other software. Also, the ‘middle’ in middleware means that in some cases it sits between the underlying computer system and user-facing applications.

I’m going to get crucified by many for my definition, but it’s my best attempt at 11pm

Any suggestions on how I could better explain it? Middleware is hugely important to my industry, and I hope to someday explain it easily to just about anyone.

So we’ve finally finished our first major integration project! The team released a major upgrade to our web software platform – DataSync Suite. From the press release:

DataSync, the development company behind the popular open source integration package DataSync Suite, is proud to annouce the release of DataSync Suite 0.5 beta. Praised by pre-beta testers, DataSync Suite is positioned for explosive growth. DataSync Suite 0.5 features Zimbra/SugarCRM integration, which allows users to archive email from Zimbra directly into SugarCRM using an intuitive AJAX interface. DataSync Suite 0.5 also adds effective administration tools that give admins the ability to add/remove users from all applications with a single operation. Updated documentation is available on the DataSync wiki.

DataSync Suite is based on Web 2.0 open source technology and heavily utilizes Zope 3 for its application framework. DataSync has recently released an aggressive development roadmap for the continued growth of their flagship product.

Good stuff. Kudos to the engineering team to hit this deadline and launch the product!