Java EE 6: profiles versus subtraction

The JCP has produced a Java Enterprise Edition spec that even "Mr. Spring" Rod Johnson can approve of. This is actually a really big deal, as Java containers have become bloated by implementing expensive pieces of the spec which are seldom used. What they are doing is allowing for compliance to subsets of the standard, with these subsets referred to as profiles. They are also allow for extensibility, with a standard for extensions to the spec.

The "profiles" approach can lead to much confusion, as anyone who has tried to figure out why their Bluetooth phone and Bluetooth car can only communicate on the most basic levels can attest. The OGC also has been using this approach for GML data standards, and seems like overkill when you are just talking about XML. However, in general it makes a lot of sense when you need to preserve the whole from a service implementation standpoint. But really, sometimes just subtracting things from standard is a great thing. (JSF anyone?)

I wonder if there will be profile for app servers to run JRuby on Rails?