ATG platform has lot of good concepts for Java applications. ATG is also well-known platform for the development of Java-based frameworks and technologies for Web development.
The History
Let’s have a look in the mid -1990’s, ATG Dynamo was among the first “applications” to use Java on the server-side. ATG demonstrated that the Java language can be solid enterprise software language. Way before anyone had thought of having a J2EE specification, ATG Dynamo proved how Java could be used to develop multi-layered, component-based java applications and solutions. It contributed many leads to J2EE specifications and Dynamic page compilation in JSP is a worth to mention. Let us see some facts here.
The Dynamic page compilation was invented by ATG and it is patented in US. Initially the dynamic web page rendering is implemented in JHTML and Dynamo Server Pages(DSP) in the ATG platform. DSP is the page renedering mechanism in ATG Platform which is very similar like a JSP with tag libs.
The java based http session tracking in wep applications was implemented by ATG and that was really a significant piece of innovation in Java web application development.
Later, the above technics were licenesed to Sun Microsystems.
Eventhough ATG, pioneered the java server side implementations, ATG as a platform or software bundle is not a mass market technology and still is a mystery for many developers. This is because ATG is hardcore properitery stuff and you don’t even find a single piece of information openly in the web. Documents are available only to the customers and Training is available only from ATG itself. Sounds weird, isn’t? but There is a purpose behind it, ATG wants to keep this as closed source product because their star product ATG Commerce suite is using this. At one stage, J2EE specs grown as champion of server side technologies, ATG adopted this change and convert their technology and their product lines into J2EE compatible or built on top of J2EE specifications. So now, ATG platform is J2EE complience and you can deploy servlets, JSP’s and EJB’s too. Well this has been done long back(late 90’s, I guess).
Till today, there are issues which are having unique and easy solution in ATG platform is complicated and cumbersome in J2EE applications. To explain this, we need to understand the ATG platform specifications. The most debatable topic in J2EE applications are lightweight persistence frameworks and EJB’s. And We have loads of web frameworks and technics to built a web applications using java. But there is no single framework which solves all our problems. In the other way, we have a freedom to custom built our applications how we need it. Sound confusing? May be, the point here is, it is up to us which technology we choose to work with. But I must say ATG has a good light weight frame work based on java beans built for implementing the conepts of dependency injections and inversion of control. This is way before, Spring and pico container created.
ATG Dynamo server is J2EE compatible, But ATG is not developing that anymore. And it is not one of best server. ATG gave up the application server race to concentrate on its core ecommerce product line. I have seen in some places J2EE applications are running in ATG Dynamo app servers and I would say they are not good in any sense.
Before finishing, I will give a brief of what I am going write in coming posts.

1. 1. DAF – Dyanmo Application Framework
2. 2. Page development.
3. 3. ATG Nucleus – Droplets, Form handlers, Core Dynamo Services
4. 4. ATG Repositories – Data Anywhere Architecture

The above are the core stuff which are unique from the J2EE in ATG platform.

Before I start writing indetail about ATG, I will give some random thoughts about it. prob’ly I may bit stupidly harsh on this but I tried to make some sense. pros cons advantages disadvantages jobs solution customer base etc

ATG – Art Technology Group, An american company with top notch E-Commerce products in its product line. I am going to discuss their technology, products and its solutions in forth coming posts.

Initially when Sun released the java version no body beleived that java will click in Internet/server side. But ATG proved this by demonstrating using nucleus and dhtml technology.

And till today ATG’s contribution to the enterprise java world is to be mentioned. They do have the Application server called ATG Dynamo which was also a J2EE certified by SUN.

To be continued….