LAS VEGAS—Geert Bevin, creator of an open-source Java Web development framework known as RIFE, said he started his project in 2002 to bring the simplicity of scripting or dynamic languages to Java.

"We wanted a way to display graphically on a map where freight was going," said Terpilowski. "But we didn't want reinvent the wheel by creating our own mapping component." The solution came in the ...