7.10. A Rich Tapestry

eTapestry is building a portal that is dedicated to the goal of making donor management accessible and affordable to any charitable organization with Internet access. ”We're almost an integrator of services and a common pathway to get the functions they need. As an ASP, hopefully we can take the mystery out of it,” says Rusche.

To accomplish that, eTapestry is relying on open, industry-standard Web technologies, including Java technology, HTML, and XML. “By using open, object-oriented technologies like the Java programming language, we can rapidly develop the functionality our customers need. With XML, our customers can be assured we can deliver a fully integrated best-of-breed service package,” adds Ganyo.

The choice of a Java development environment was a key building block for eTapestry. “By using a modular, open-source tool like Forte for Java, we gained full support of open standards, such as Java technology and XML,” says Ganyo. The modular design of the Forte for Java environment allows eTapestry to use only the features it needs and eases the installation of new upgrades. The product's foundation in open source means that eTapestry has access to enhancements, not just from the vendor, but the entire Java development community.

For more information about Forte, visit http://www.forte.com. For the eTapestry Web site, visit http://www.etapestry.com.