J2EE, but don't bet on an easy road
If I had a reasonably easy way to convert the existing application to something non-M$, I'd be ecstatic (and, sitting quite pretty as the proven only voice of reason in the company).
J2EE is where I personally am pushing, but let "the voice of experience" tell you to get buy-in BEFORE you preach. You need to convince the higher-ups that your new idea is wonderful, yes, but before that you need to sell the *concept* that there might be an alternative. IOW, you will never see all the dross magically fall away revealing you as you always were: reasonable, intelligent, visionary. You need to out-sell the opposition just to have the privilege of an audience, THEN you can sell the change.
I know of JSP and Apache, but I'm not sure on their capabilities or supported platforms. Of course, a perfect answer would be Program XYZ automatically converts ASP to fully functional JSP, allowing the application to run on Web Server PQR which runs on OS's A, B, C and D.
Don't forget (with Java, anyway) to say Program
s X, Y and Z and Web Server
s P, Q and R. Get it in terms an MBA can understand: Interchangeability is a key point, not in object-oriented programming, but in
change management. etc.
Other J2EE points:
- Works with all major databases.
- Works with all major web servers.
- Works with all major operating systems.
- XML and Java were "made for each other"; Sun's Jon Bosak is chair of XML Working Group.
- UML and Java were "made for each other".
- CORBA and Java were "made for each other".
- ~80% of all colleges teach Java; half of those require it.
- ASP is nowhere close to Java's OO, and ASP.NET will be years behind.
- Error handling is required.
- Specs, dev tools, and many deployment tools are free.
- Most common components already built and free.
- Built-in web server features (servlets).
- Built-in security features.
- Memory is handled for you (garbage collection).
- Attracts smarter developers :)
- Documentation is auto-built using Javadoc.
- Big-name users:
Wal-Mart (Fortune #2)
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
United Airlines
Knight-Ridder News
TIAA-CREF
Citibank
Nextel
Verizon (Fortune #10)
United Parcel Service
NEC
Wells Fargo
Nortel Networks
NTT DoCoMo
NASA, incl. Mars missions and Hubble
Boeing (Fortune #15)
Delta Air Lines
Home Depot
Xerox
United States Postal Service
That should get you started. :)