Taking another step in the gradual convergence of webMethods and Software AG products, Software AG is repackaging its legacy modernization products into separate bundles that expose legacy assets and tie them into its ESB and SOA registry/repository governance offerings.

Specifically, the bundles are part of webMethods Application Modernization Suite. They are available as a “Web Edition,” that transforms green screens to web pages; a ”SQL Edition,” that provides SQL access to legacy data sources; and a “SOA Edition,” that encompasses the other two, but more importantly, also bundles CentraSite Enterprise or Governance Editions (SOA registry/repository), along with an instance of webMethods ESB.

For the most part, these are not new products but instead, repackaging of existing products. They split the screen-scrape capabilities of Software AG ApplinX, channeling its web page capabilities into the web edition and the service transformation capabilities into the SOA edition. Additionally, the SOA edition include Software AG’s EntireX tool, which modernizes legacy code, as opposed to the screen scraping of ApplinX. And while these tools are offered in bundles, they are still separate tools, albeit with new integration to CentraSite and webMethods ESB.

In conjunction with the new releases is EntireX 8.0, which adds the ESB integration plus support for large CICS message sizes, enhanced COBOL support, reliable and asynchronous service calls, and simplified configuration when transforming legacy logic into.NET, J2EE, or web services.

One thing that the new release does not include is integration of Jacada, whose capabilities overlap ApplinX, whose terminal emulation business Software AG acquired late last year. The acquisition was driven primarily to add customer base, and with the ink still drying, it will be a few months before the company announces a product convergence or migration roadmap.

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