Rational Software Delivery Platform 7.0
A new version of Rational Application Developer (and [Rational Software Architect]) has been released, version 7.0. They're part of Rational Software Delivery Platform, V7 desktop products
, which is a set of the Rational products, where the Rational brand is part of the IBM Software Group. Check out the announcement: Announcing version 7.0 of Rational Software Development Platform - Desktop products.
This is the successor to RAD/RSA 6.0; there is no RAD/RSA 6.1. This version contains new features for and a test server for WebSphere Application Server 6.1. So it fulfills the role of v6.1, but because it has so many additional features, Rational has called it v7.0. There's a dedicated developerWorks page: IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform.
As usual, the main product web pages are Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software and Rational Software Architect. You can download a Trial: Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software V7.0 and/or a Trial: Rational Software Architect V7.0 from developerWorks. Once you've got it installed, switching licenses is now easier: IBM Rational Software Development Platform v7.0 - Product Activation. There's a RAD v7 InfoCenter and a list of recommended fixes for RAD v7 (and v6).
Here's the official list of features and benefits. Informally, a friend of mine in Rational has given me this info: Some key features of this release are:
- Extends your Eclipse 3.2 environment and tools
- Install only the features you need through flexible, granular installation options
- Integrated and optimized for IBM WebSphere Application Server and IBM WebSphere Portal Server products
- Accelerate J2EE, portal, Web Services and SOA application development using rapid application development tools and visual development techniques
- Shorten the Java learning curve through visual design that updates code, point-and-click database connectivity, visual portal development techniques and more
- Improve code modeling and share designs with distributed teams
- Integrate your business applications with WS-I compliant Web services and service-oriented architectures
- Collaborate and share assets across the team using built-in Rational ClearCase LT version control
- Improve code quality with automated tools that apply coding standards and perform runtime analysis
One issue to be aware of: Microsoft Windows Vista currently is not supported by Rational products.
Some things that don't seem to exist yet but that I will link to when I can find them:
- An IBM Education Assistant for RAD/RSA v7
- A RedBook for RAD/RSA v7
For more info:
Rational 7.0 Articles
Here are some resources for the new Rational v7 platform:
Here are some articles on how to use products in the new platform:
You may also be interested in Strategic Directions for Rational Software Development Tools and Technologies.
