by Aswathi P P (Software Programmer, Excellone Technologies)

Zope is a futuristic open source application server and tool kit put forth by Digital Creations and a large community of active users. With its high performance application server, a web server and a content management system, it is a complete and self-contained solution for web applications development.

Zope consists of a robust scalable object database, web services architecture and powerful programming. It can integrate tightly with almost all the web servers and database systems, due to its customized design and extensibility.

Checkout how ZOPE helps to develop easy software solutions

• Zope is an open source application server, therefore no charge is required for software licensing. The source code of this application is freely available. You can ensure a window to the next-generation, as it will keep on progressing as more software developers get involved in it.
• Open standard Support is another key point regarding Zope. Zope supports Internet standards including SQL, ODBC, XML, FTP, HTTP, XML-RPC, SOAP and more.
• Zope takes the benefit of object-oriented programming and provides good programming productivity.
• It is written in Python, the most powerful scripting language in the web programming technologies. IBM, the News/Media industry such as CBS New York and Web Portals such as Yahoo are using Python and Zope.
• Zope works on various Linux/Unix options, on Windows, BeOs and on Mac OSX and is supported by major Linux companies.
• Zopes DTML language permits management of presentation logic leveraging HTML, Java script and style sheets. Zopes content management framework makes it possible, for the web developers to mould customized websites needed for content managers.
• Enterprise Data Integration, possible through SQL-backend integration through database adaptors, brings in much more personalization using SQL-based language called ‘SQL Methods’ for querying and updating website data.
• All projects whether related to the core of Zope or to some feature or add on product, is specified and managed through an open process. The Zope security API associated with its user management objects and its reporting language, DTML, are the bases for building web applications with basic personalization features.
• Finally Zope allows space for the ideas that are yet to come and this makes it more futuristic.

This reveals that Zope is an ideal cost effective software solution for especially medium sized companies mainly for those that require,

• Interface legacy software systems,
• Web enabled customer systems,
• Create enterprise intranet portals,
• Create e-procurement systems,
• Integrate client-server systems,
• Web-enable supply chain management Create knowledge management system and
• Interface corporate EDI / ERP systems.

In conclusion, Zope through web management, built-in search tools, powerful data sharing, safe delegation, content management and enterprise data access along with integrated access control is gaining increasing popularity day by day.