This past week we released another point release of Jaxer, version 0.9.3, updating the standalone server as well as the one packaged within Aptana Studio. Of course there were bug fixes, performance improvements, and API enhancements. Perhaps most important, this was our first release to officially support Linux. Supporting Linux isn't trivial because of the multitude of variants, but it is very strategic as the deployment platform of choice for many people. Look for more distros being supported and more forms of distribution, from buildable source drops to tarballs and installable packages and even to complete EC2 and VMWare images. And thanks to the community for already helping us with supporting Linux distros.

So where are these releases leading — what are some things on the immediate roadmap for Jaxer?

• An even more Ajax-y experience: the callback environment will be made more natural, server-side support for Ajax libraries will expand, mashups will be easier to implement, etc.
• Scalability and performance: we'll release some interesting benchmarks on current Jaxer performance and stability, illustrate how it scales, and make some significant improvements.
• More APIs: we'll make database, file, network, and native interfaces more powerful while maintaining clean APIs that feel at home in JavaScript and HTML.
• More integration: we're creating a true bridge to Java by leveraging DWR (Direct Web Remoting) server-side, in addition to our current support for Tomcat (and other servlet containers); we'll expand the list of supported web servers from the current Apache 2.x and Jetty to IIS, Apache 1.3, and perhaps others; and we'll work on other database drivers.
• Deployment: we're working on making one-click deployment a reality, so you can develop your Ajax apps in Studio, leveraging Jaxer for the server side, and click to deploy your app to a hosted, managed, monitored, and scalable environment.
• Tooling: How about seamless end-to-end debugging of your Ajax app — step through your program starting on the server, move to the browser, go back to the server for a callback, then back to the browser for processing the result...
• Real-world apps: in the spirit of eating our own dog food, and supporting dog food consumption in the community, look for complete applications written on Jaxer and en expansion of our web site and of Studio so you can share your snippets, samples, projects and applications.

Oh, and the time frame? We're not exactly the patient type, so for many of these think weeks rather than months. Want something specific to come out even faster? Join the discussions on the forums, join the effort (some folks are supporting Linux distros, others are building persistence frameworks, some are putting together samples), or join our team.