Java "application infrastructure"

[id_powell]

Hi all, I have a question about where to start with a new system development. .. I work for an organization who are just starting out on a major rebuild of the current administration systems, and have chosen Java / Oracle as the platform to use (for info, we're moving from a Coldfusion / Oracle system). To give you an idea of the scale of the project, I have identified around 300 distinct applications (covering 1500 use cases) in our existing system - all of which need to be rebuild in Java, probably using MVC and OO.

We've split the design and build into 2 distinct areas... firstly, the "application infrastructure" - which we're classing as essential support systems for the mainstream applications in the systems (things like help management systems, CMS and translation, FAQ, Menus, Job scheduling, that sort of thing...) - we've identifies around 30 of these types of applications. And secondly - the mainstream applications...

Now my idea is to try to cut some corners here and rather build these "Infrastructure" Apps, try where possible to source them either as open source modules or as purchased modules... obviously, we'll be looking for the apps to be as customizable as possible and they need to be open to interact with the other infrastructure apps and core system apps as freely as possible...

I've just started looking - but this is a huge job, so, to my question.... has anyone had experience of this type of thing before in Java? are there "suites' of applications like this out there to use (free of purchase), and how successful is this approach if you've used it (over the more obvious design and build from scratch of all apps)

Any recommendations you may have on this approach, or on actual software modules of this nature would be greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Ian.

[JosAH]

Take the JEE approach (f.k.a. J2EE) and hire some consultancy/designers/programmers from IBM or Sun (Oracle); just implementing a CMS alone is a hell of a job to do and you are mentioning much much more than that. It'll cost you a few bucks but a homebrew system will be a disappointment in the end too and then it'll cost you too ...

kind regards,

Jos