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Many people have asked us what software we're using for running this blog service. So I'm writing a few very technical words about our system.
It is written completely in Java, yet we're currently not running it within a servlet container such as Tomcat. It's running as a stand-alone server compiled with the Java SE 6 Development Kit. The architecture is based on the model-view-controller pattern (MVC), like other frameworks such as Ruby on Rails are. The HTML template language we are using is our own, so we could do some performance optimization targeting specifically on our requirements. Some information about our template language is available right here.

We have a modular extension structure, which means we can develop plug-ins that can be loaded specifically for our customers, while still keeping the core system. This allows us to upgrade our main system and provide customers with the newest releases without further costs. So if you want to have your own installation on a dedicated server, be assured we won't charge you for providing updates. Of course you can stay out of the update process if you want to. Interested? Let us know!

There are already various modules available, starting from virus scanners for uploaded files, single-sign-on (SSO) connectors, up to session migration management for distributed installaionts on multiple servers. On our main installation here at 21publish.com, we are running many, but not all modules (SSO isn't required, for example).

On the database side, we can attach different sources - although it's quite some time that we have used our Oracle connector... We can even use a RAM-based store oder use a file for saving data - which we'd never recommend for a productive environment, of course.

For performance reasons, we're also using an Apache as a proxy server - maybe there are faster solutions, but we just love our Apache!

Guess I'll keep posting some tech updates over time, though if you've specific questions, just leave a comment.

We have successfully migrated the system to our new release 3.1. Although the migration took a bit longer than expected, you now have all new features at your hands.
The most important changes include a new user interface which is now fully IE 7 compatible and various usability improvements.
From the technical perspective, we have a new XSLT process in place which allows us to keep our menus more consistent, rather than having the same functionality accessible in various different ways. You should notice an improved ease-of-use once you get familiar with the changed interface.
Java-wise we have switched to Java SE 6, which includes many improvements and now also contains localized data for the Philippines.

Hope you enjoy the new release. For feedback please feel free to leave a comment.