Why I should use the OSGi platform?

To someone like me who doesn't know anything about OSGi, but has a lot of experience in the Java world, why I should use the OSGi platform?

Thank you!

The http://www.coderanch.com/how-to/java/OSGiLinks page has some links about this; start with Why is OSGi important? and OSGi, and How It Got That Way.

Thank you, Ulf.

Marco Antonio wrote:To someone like me who doesn't know anything about OSGi, but has a lot of experience in the Java world, why I should use the OSGi platform?

You should only use it if you suffer from issues (e.g., modularity) that OSGi can resolve or if you might like to take advantage of features (e.g., dynamism) that OSGi provides.

Thank you, Richard!

I will take into accounts your considerations.

I think it make sense to use ogsi when we need to maintain multiple versions of applications. Each version deployed as a bundle. Do you agree with this author ?

Pradeep, when you say "maintain multiple versions of applications", do you main multiple versions of the same third part JARs? If it is like that, if you use Maven you could indicate which version you want use, couldn't you? Which adventages OSGi will provide regarding the Maven solution?

Sorry whether I am asking a no sense question

Thanks you all!

Marco Antonio wrote:If it is like that, if you use Maven you could indicate which version you want use, couldn't you? Which adventages OSGi will provide regarding the Maven solution?

I think the question is about using multiple versions of a library (or jar file) within the same JVM process. Maven doesn't help with that, whereas OSGi makes it easy to accomplish.

Thank you, Ulf!

Your contributions are always welcome.

Yes Ulf is right as always

Thank you, Pradeep.

It is a scenario which I had not been considered (perhaps because I have never needed to solve it) but it is very interesting.

Pradeep bhatt wrote:I think it make sense to use ogsi when we need to maintain multiple versions of applications. Each version deployed as a bundle. Do you agree with this author ?

It is not necessarily multiple versions of an application per se, it is just when you need higher levels of modularity and encapsulation than what Java provides by itself. This could include running multiple versions of the same application at the same time, but you may just have a really big application where you want to enforce logical boundaries and enable better separation of concerns allowing different parts of the application to evolve independently. Or it could just be a small highly dynamic application where you want parts of it to be able to easily come and go in response to environmental changes.

Modularity is like object orientation, it doesn't just enable a single thing, it is about design.

...you may just have a really big application where you want to enforce logical boundaries and enable better separation of concerns allowing different parts of the application to evolve independently. Or it could just be a small highly dynamic application where you want parts of it to be able to easily come and go in response to environmental changes.

It is very interesting and all of you have increased my interest in OSGi.

Thank you so much!