Dec 11th, 2006
I’ve found an IBM Systems Journal article about the AD/Cycle strategy and architecture that makes me cry. AD/Cycle was one of the first projects that I had been involved as a software engineer (1991).
Years ago, repository technology promised to change the way corporate IT units build mission-critical software. Development teams could store meta data in a single warehouse and access that meta data using a variety of tools from multiple vendors. IBM’s AD/Cycle CASE initiative, based on Systems Application Architecture, was an attempt to centralize the management of mainframe application development, supporting the integration of tools through a consistent user interface (CUA), workstation services, an AD information model, tool services, Repository Services, and Library Services that provide control for defining and sharing application development data. The centerpiece was the Repository Manager MVS (RM/MVS) running on a mainframe (MVS) and DB2, that was built somewhat on the lines of the IRDS though not quite compliant with the specifications. In addition, IBM also developed SCLM to manage the various files of application development code. The architectural vision was to provide seamless operation between the IBM Repository and the SCLM.
Unfortunately, repository-based development failed to deliver the goods to IT development shops. Since then, IBM has switched to the client/server model, and its repository technology has evolved through Configuration Management Version Control, from 1991, to newer products in the Rational product line.
In our shop, we finally dropped AD/Cycle and developed an in-house meta data repository that it’s still running in production, providing a useful integration through our mainframe toolset.
Dec 7th, 2006
Just finished another developerWorks chat, this time conducted by Grady Booch and helped by Brian Bryson (ASQ) and Steve Weaver (ADC), about Empowering the A in SOA.
Grady started with a magisterial class warning that SOA is not the acronym of Snake Oil-oriented Architecture but something like a message-passing pattern, where he distinguish it with a big S and a little s: the big S being classic web services and little s being true services offered up by a system as manifest in a set of APIs that let you pass messages/objects and initiate/derive some behaviour from that system. He emphasizes the A in SOA, being good architectures a fundamental factor. Sound architecture – and the processes that lead to that architecture – is a precursor to having SOA used properly.
About the organizational concerns, he recommends us James O. Coplien’s book Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development.
About the latest Rational toolset release (codename Caspian), he told us that the modelling tools focuses on modelling of services, because, among other things, semantics of the messages that are passed are a significant design decision. He also told us that Rational has made the architectural decision to base all of their desktop-facing tools on the eclipse platform (a well-engineering foundation for the developer experience).
If you are more interested about the contents of this chat, you can read the transcript. (Updated)
For additional information on SOA best practices, see Brian Bryson’s presentation on SOA best practices at The Rational Tester blog, http://rationaltester.wordpress.com
Brian, thanks for the link!
Dec 7th, 2006
Today, I have attended to a developerWorks chat, conducted by Bill Higgins, about Making the move to Ajax.
There were lots of IBM folks, as Grady Booch, Patrick Mueller, Matt Lavin, Bob Goodman and Gino Bustelo (leader and commiter on the AJAX Tools Framework) and Adam Peller (Dojo committer), as well as some software analyst as Cote.
It was very interesing, mainly because the format, as you have the ability to interact with people doing innovative projects in Ajax. We talked about which toolkit/framework are most used, their strengths and weakness, which are the opinions on Ajax (and REST) at the very senior technical and mgmt. level, accessibility/standards (a11y and i18n), Microsoft strategy towards Ajax, openLaszlo or ATF/WTP JS editor plans.
If you could not attend the chat, you can read the full transcript.
And remember that tomorrow, December 7, there will be another chat, where Grady Booch will lead an online discussion and answer your questions about the new tools just released from IBM Rational. More details at Grady Booch answers your questions about this week’s Rational tools release.
Thanks much for joining Ferdy! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Dec 6th, 2006
The last 60 days, there have been lots of news in the Java IDE’s arena:
Dec 5th, 2006
Wow! After studying Structured programming, Object-oriented programming and Functional programming for many years, today I’ve discovered a new programming discipline, the Esoteric programming.
An esoteric programming language (aka Esolang) is a computer programming language designed to experiment with weird ideas, to be hard to program in, or as a joke, rather than for practical use. Below there are some examples of “Hello World!” programs written in this kind of languages:
-
Brainfuck, which consist of only eight recognized characters:
`++++++++++[>+++++++>++++++++++>+++>+««-]
++.>+.+++++++..+++.>++.
«+++++++++++++++.>.+++.——.——–.>+.>.`
48*, v
v,,,,,,“World!"<
25*,@`
You’ll find the complete list at the Esolang Community Portal.
(Via Barrapunto)
