IBM announced a set of Enterprise JavaBean (EJB) components designed to improve developer productivity. WebSphere Business Components, which will ship later this year, build on IBM's Java technologies -- it has released more than 1,000 Java components that are now used by ISVs, as well as corporate developers.

"We're seeing a steady increase in the number of companies turning to component-based development," says Steve Rosenberg, director of marketing, IBM WebSphere Business Components.

According to a Gartner Group study, the market for pre-built components will grow from US$1.4 billion in 1997 to more than US$8 billion in 2002. By 2003, at least 70 percent of all new applications will be assembled primarily from components.

"The drive to get to market first with a winning solution puts pressure on developers to speed up application development," Rosenburg says. "WebSphere Business Components will give developers a head start in this process, with business content that narrows the gap between available technology and deployable business solutions."

The WebSphere Business Components will include a comprehensive array of business functions, including components for particular industries such as insurance and banking, and cross-industry components, for areas such as supply chain management and customer relationship management.

A number of WebSphere Business Components can be downloaded today from www.alphaWorks.ibm.com. The site features base components for date and time support; decimal numbers and arithmetic operations; address components; company components for describing and managing organizational units; currency components for describing and managing currencies and exchange rates; and natural calendar components that provide the capability to manage a working calendar.

Developers who download this "alpha code" are encouraged to share their feedback with IBM before the technologies are integrated into products.