There are tons of Java-COM bridges out there, you know.

Open Source and Microsoft supported? I'd love a reference if you have one. I'm aware of Sun's but haven't seen any others.

The more I look at middleware technologies the more I realize XML routing and distribution is more the game than even the objects themselves. It seems to me that Perl would be more adaptable to the changing standards surrounding distributed technologies and could provide a common interface into and out of Java (J2EE) (and whatever new technology comes down the pike), and use LDAP verification for security. I guess I need to determine efficiency of Java vrs Perl in that area, (or just be assimulated and say to hell with it :)