Commentary

Configuration in Aspire is the foundation for all of the framework. Without it everything will fall apart. Configuration is the binding factor for the rest of Aspire.

Features

1. A single abstraction  irrespective of the structure of the configuration files
2. Use XML or plain text or databases as your configuration
3. Split configuration into any number distinct files that can reside anywhere in the directory tree
4. Provide defaults for look ups
5. Throws exceptions for mandatory config entries
6. Works also as the basis for a unified Factory service

Features

1. Dynamically instantiate classes using symbolic names
2. Provide for backward compatibility using interface centric programming
3. Provides a workunit/task level abstraction
4. Prevents from creating factories for every object type explicitly
5. Uses an underlying configuration interface so that the class definitions can be kept anywhere
6. The second most important API of Aspire after the configuration service
7. All configurability of Aspire hinges on the factory service

http://www.onjava.com/lpt/a/2856

A bare bone logging service interface. The resourceful can substitute a Log4J very easily as an implementation getting a good number of its benefits.

Features

1. Interface based
2. You can provide any implementation
3. Provides filtering of messages with exclude and include filters
4. You can turn of selectively at run time

Some drawbacks

1. Could be somewhat inefficient. But in the scheme of things and in our tests hasn't fared that bad.