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 The job of an Executive Committee (EC) representative
is a serious commitment. The time required is extensive, and includes reading of specifications, Reference Implementations (RIs),
and Technology Compatibility Kits (TCKs), as well as regular attendance at EC meetings and teleconferences to discuss and vote on
various technical and process topics. Besides voting on Java Specification Requests (JSRs) at various stages, the EC guides the
Program Management Office (PMO) in the evolution of the Java Community Process (JCP) program. EC decisions can have significant,
long-term consequences to not only the community, but also in the industry and the market. Still, plenty of JCP participants relish
the task of representing a corporation, non-profit, open source group, or themselves.
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IBM has contributed substantially to the Java community since 1996, applying its breadth of resources and deep understanding of Java technologies to almost every aspect of the platform's evolution. The Java Community Process program has recognized IBM's noteworthy involvement through the years.
Nominated for JCP Member of the Year in 2004, IBM has been a key participant and excellent leader on a multitude of JSRs, second only to Sun in number. IBM has driven eight SE/EE JSRs to completion (13, 80, 86, 95, 105, 109, 110, 168, 174)
and is the Spec Lead or co-Lead for eleven more SE/EE JSRs that are in progress, including 104, 106, 147, 150, 183, 225, 235, 236, 237, 286, and 291. IBM representatives currently participate in 57 SE/EE Expert Groups and have worked in Expert Groups for 89 completed JSRs.
Two of IBM's Spec Leads have received special recognition. In 2005, IBM's Spec Lead Andrew Eisenberg and his co-Lead Jim Melton of Oracle were nominated Most Outstanding Spec Lead for Java SE/EE for their work on JSR 225, XQuery API for Java. In 2006, Stefan Hepper of IBM's WebSphere Portal Server Development group in Germany was nominated Outstanding Java SE/EE Spec Lead for his work on JSR 168, Portlet Specification, and JSR 286, Portlet Specification 2.0. Stefan, a software architect and Star Spec Lead, feels a great need to create well-documented standard interfaces to prevent problems for customers.
IBM has been a contributing member on both on both of the JCP Executive Committees since their inception in 2000. IBM had a perfect record of involvement in 2004 and 2005, having voted on every ballot and attended every meeting, and barely missed achieving the same distinction in 2006.
Mark Thomas represents IBM on the SE/EE EC. He is the director of Java Technologies and SOA Design Centers in IBM's Application and Integration Middleware division. Mark leads the development teams responsible for providing IBM software developer kits for Java technology. He has management responsibility for a broad range of Java SE-based components that provide the foundation for many of IBM's software offerings. Mark also has business responsibility for IBM's worldwide development centers delivering Service Oriented Architecture assets in support of client engagements.
His software product development experience includes graphics, terminal emulation software, windowing systems, message queuing, transaction processing, computer-aided telephony, voice response systems, print and printer management, embedded controllers and Java technologies.
Mark holds a doctorate in solid-state chemistry from Oxford University. He has represented IBM on a variety of UK and US professional boards, including the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, the British Computer Society Engineering & Technology Strategic Panel, and the Colorado Advanced Software Institute.
Whether leading or participating in Expert Groups or the Executive Committee, the representatives of IBM are committed to using their expertise to make contributions for the betterment of the Java community and to help guide the Java platform's evolution and development. Moreover, IBM is heavily investing in the success of Java technology by providing Java SE ports for more than a dozen environments, delivering over 400 Java Compatible products to the market, and creating the market-leading Java EE implementation in the form of the WebSphere Application Server.
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