How to Select an Open-Source Java Portal for your Enterprise

As usual, I'm spending a lot of time trying to select the appropriate open-source java-based portal for my enterprise (e.g. "company"). I say "as usual", because I've been doing this for a couple of years now. With this vast experience under my belt, I thought it appropriate to share my strategy and process with you all.

1. Determine Your Requirements

This is the best part of portal research! You should write down every cool idea you can think of. Dare to dream big!

Ok, now start crossing stuff off until you're left with the following:

Requirement #1: Portal must work.
Requirement #2: Portal must include Amazing Google Maps Mashup portlet, RSS Reader portlet, and Analog Clock portlet.

There, now you've chosen some realistic requirements.

2. Observe the Desolate Playing Field.

Ok, there are really only a few choices here, so let's not complicate things too much.

Contender #1: Liferay.
Contender #2: Jboss.
Contender #3: eXo.
Contender #4: GridSphere.
Contender #5: StringBeans.
Contender #6: Jetspeed and the like.

3. Choose Liferay

It's just the obvious choice. It looks good. It's easy to create layouts. It has an analog clock portlet. Oops, analog clock isn't available on the latest version. Oh well, it still has Google Maps and an RSS reader, which are both critical to business operations.

But seriously, it has a crapload of portlets and is fairly easy to get running.

4. Fall Out of Love with Liferay

Ok, you know that one feature that you left in your requirements even though I told you to cross it off? You know how you're all excited about Liferay having a sweet portlet that satisfies that requirement? Well, that feature is probably broken.

5. Hate Liferay

This is a big step in our process. It takes a little while to get to this point, and it's important to simply confront the fact that you hate Liferay. Listen, it's ok. Don't feel bad for the way you feel. We've all asked questions in the Liferay forums, and we've all experienced that 90% of them go unanswered. We've all been trapped by a bug fix over here that breaks something over there. Yes, my friend, that portlet really did disappear after you upgraded, and it might not be coming back for several months. No, the code comments aren't just hiding somewhere.

6. Visit JBoss Website

Jboss Portal is it. This is a big company sponsored project. We all know about it. Hell, we have unopened email somewhere deep in our inbox from a RedHat salesman trying to sell us this amazing free software. Look at this site, it's so awesomely corporate.

7. View JBoss Portal Demo on JBoss website.

8. Download eXo Portal.... and stuff

So you've heard a lot about eXo, and holy crap the featureset is huge. This one product can do everything you need, and everything you didn't know you needed. Except it's not just one product, it's a half dozen different products. Oh, but there's an "all-in-one" product, cool. Wait a minute... how the hell does this thing work... let's look at the documentation...

9. Visit Gridsphere Website.

Quick, find a screenshot. I'll wait.

10. Check out StringBeans.

Wha?

11. Look at JetSpeed, uPortal, and All the Other Products That Would Appeal to those Guys Who Use vi and Brag About It.

12. Go Back to Liferay

By this time you've forgotten all the bad times, and Liferay is starting to look pretty hot again. Maybe this time it'll work out. Maybe it was just you. Maybe Liferay has really changed this time.

13. Repeat this Process ad nauseam.

Meanwhile, you're still using Sharepoint.