Which version of Pluto should I use?

The latest release from the 1.1.x series is the current stable release. We recommend that you use this if you are looking for a stable release.

Pluto 1.2.x is currently under development. The primary chanages between 1.1.x and 1.2.x is that the 1.2 series will require Java1.5. If you are looking for generics support and other Java5 features, you may want to become an early adopter of 1.2.x.

There is also a branch which has been created to foster the development of JSR-286 support. We hope that this branch eventually becomes the 2.x series, however, the development is currently very immature. If you are looking for JSR-286 support, we recommend that you utilize and help us flush out this version.

I've seen references to Pluto 1.0.0. What's the deal?

Pluto 1.0.x is based off of the code base which was originally donated to the ASF by IBM. The first release candidate in this series was published on October 8, 2004.

Around the same time that this release occured Pluto 1.1.0-ALPHA was imported into our source repository. The 1.1.x series is a refactoring/rewrite of Pluto. It's entire purpose is to simplify the container and make it easier for both Portlet Developers and Portal Developers looking to embed Pluto into their portal to use Pluto.

Now that Pluto 1.1.0 has been released, our team highly recommends that you migrate to it. Pluto 1.0.x development has been stagnant for some time and there are no plans to support it in the future. Pluto 1.1.0 on the otherhand will be the basis for all development currently envisioned (including jsr 286 support).

Is Pluto an Enterprise Portal? No, the Pluto project aims to provide a Java Specification compliant Portlet Container. In order to support the container, the Pluto project provides a simple portal, however, this does not provides optional services such as single sign on. If you are looking for an Open Source enterprise Portal implementation, there are several available. Apache Jetspeed is an enterprise portal hosted by the Apache Software Foundation. Sakai and uPortal are both educational portals which utilize Pluto as their container. There are many other open source portals. What's the easiest way to include a portlet in my webapp

Simple, use the Pluto Portal Drivers "PortalDriverFilter". This allows you to embed a portlet directly into a jsp page. To use it, do the following:

  • Add the Portal Driver listener Configuration to your web.xml
  • Add the PortalDriverFilter configuration to your web.xml
  • Include the portlet (and perhaps some controls?) in your jsp.