Framework Digest Issue #11 Volume #1 Date Oct. 3, 1994 Number of Members: 360 To subscribe to this list send mail to Include the word "Subscribe" in the subject. To contribute ideas send them to You can get the FWList archives by anonymous ftp to st.cs.uiuc.edu in /pub/FWList or by sending e-mail to archive-server@st.cs.uiuc.edu. The files are called v1n1, v1n2, etc. To get v1n2 by e-mail, make the body of your message: send FWList v1n2 ===================== --Table of Contents-- ===================== * Calender of Events * From the Moderator * OS/2 frameworks? * NeoAccess OODBMS Framework (Press Release) * Patterned Architectures * RE: Patterned Architectures ======================================== --Calender of Framework Related Events-- ======================================== * Software Development East Oct. 5-7 Washinton D.C. * Designing OO Frameworks Seminar Nov. 14-16 Cupertino, CA ====================== --From the Moderator-- ====================== Hi everyone, I wanted to take this opportunity to just review the guidelines for submissions to the list. About 130 people have been added to the list so everyone probably hasn't read the first edition. Here are the guidelines. 1) Don't phrase your comments as questions to the moderator. I don't have the answers to all of your questions. Please address them to the group as a whole. Between all of us hopefully we can come up with good answers. Despite this the moderator does reserve the right to put in his two cents worth. 2) The Moderator Reserves the right to edit contributions for length and appropriateness. 3) Commercial announcements are OK. Many people on the list are really working on serious projects, and would like to hear about commercial products. I don't want the discussion to be totally academic. New product announcements, and candid remarks about available frameworks or related products are welcome. 4) There is no set schedule for the Digests. I'll send them out when there appears to be enough material. 5) When responding to a questions posted to the list, you can either respond directly to the person who asked the question, or to the list as a whole. Please always be courteous with your responses. 6) Have fun. Steve Wilson Moderator FWList ************************************** From: tmeadow@bearriver.com Subj: OS/2 frameworks? I have a question for our IBM list members. Is there a native OS/2 framework comparable to Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) or Apple's MacApp? From what I can tell, there are almost 10 C++ compilers for OS/2, but no native frameworks. IBM's C++Set ships with a _small_ set of class libraries, one of which supports the Presentation Manager user interface. However, it provides a small subset of what either MFC or MacApp provide. As far as I can tell, most OS/2 C++ developers are using a cross-platform framework, such as XVT, zApp, Zinc, etc. Anyone know any more than this? Tony Meadow ------ Tony Meadow Bear River Associates, Inc., PO Box 1900, Berkeley, CA 94701 USA Telephone:+1 510 644 9400 Fax:+1 510 644 9778 Internet: tmeadow@bearriver.com AppleLink: D0068 ************************************** From: neologic@holonet.net Subj: NeoAccess OODBMS Framework (Press Release) Berkeley, California -- September 14, 1994 -- NeoLogic Systems announced today the release of NeoAccess 3.0, the first major update of NeoLogic's cross-platform object database engine in over a year. Bob Krause, President of NeoLogic Systems was quoted as saying, "We are very excited about the release of NeoAccess 3.0. With these latest improvements and enhancements, our customers will now be able to deliver cross-platform solutions that simply would not be possible using traditional relational or even competing object database products." NeoAccess provides object persistence as well as the organizational and high-speed searching capabilities of a high-end database engine, but has a memory footprint of less than 100K and costs only $749 per developer with no runtime licensing fees. Full-Featured Object Database Engine NeoAccess has taken a frameworks approach to database technology. The product consists of a set of C++ classes that developers use to implement the backend of data intensive applications on Macintosh, Windows and DOS platforms. Low-level capabilities of the system include a powerful object persistence mechanism that bring objects into memory on demand. Memory requirements of NeoAccess-based applications are very low because only those objects of immediate interest to an application need to be in memory at any given time. NeoAccess's incredible performance is possible because of a sophisticated object caching mechanism that keeps objects in memory, thereby reducing disk i/o. Yet the system also includes an automatic garbage collection algorithm that transparently purges the cache in low memory situations. On top of NeoAccess's base-level object persistence capabilities rests organizational constructs for sorting groups of objects and managing the complex relationships that exists between them. By default, NeoAccess organizes objects by class. But classes know how they are related to one another as well. And objects having a particular base class can be organized using multiple indices. The system also includes the ability to construct multi-dimensional containment hierarchies for managing networks of inter-related objects. Parts explosions, neural nets and semantic nets are but a few examples of the types of collections possible using these organizational constructs. Taking advantage of the organizational capabilities of the system, NeoAccess includes an optimized query engine which provides incredibly fast access to objects, even when dealing with huge datasets. The searching capabilities of the product include a relational query engine that automatically chooses the fastest access path to objects given a particular selection criterion. Complex relational queries, even ad hoc queries, are supported. NeoAccess also includes a powerful set of keyed iterator classes which developers can use to iterate over sets of objects that match a given selection criterion. As is the case with most class libraries, NeoAccess comes with full source code for all supported development environments. NeoAccess naturally extends the latest versions of virtually all standard application frameworks including Metrowerks' PowerPlant, Symantec's THINK Class Library and Apple's MacApp on the Macintosh and Microsoft's Foundation Classes, Inmark's zApp and Borland's ObjectWindows in Intel-based environments. NeoAccess can even be used without an application framework or in applications built using a custom framework. The source code is designed for portability. Several customers have moved NeoAccess into Unix environments in as little as three days. And the programming interface which is architected using the concept of "minimum visible complexity" is virtually identical on all these platforms. So moving the backend of applications into another environment is as simple as recompiling. End users will appreciate NeoAccess because databases are completely self-contained in a single document file. So users can treat a database file as they would any other document. And NeoAccess-based applications produce documents that are binary-compatible across platforms. That means that a database built on one platform can be used on any other platform without conversion. NeoLogic Systems NeoLogic Systems has been developing object-oriented solutions since 1987. NeoAccess has been commercially available since May of 1992. Numerous commercial and in-house applications based on NeoAccess technology are already in production. NeoAccess is helping organizations deliver powerful products in a more timely fashion than they ever imagined possible. NeoAccess 3.0 NeoAccess 3.0 includes many new features and enhancements, including: * Multi-threading support with object locking, thread and semaphore classes, * The ability to dynamically add and remove indices from a class, * Consolidated indices that organize all objects having a given base class together, * Support for multiple blobs or part lists in a single object, * Improved architecture which reduces the need to subclass, and * Even better performance. The NeoAccess Developer's Toolkit sells for just $749 per developer (plus shipping and tax) with no runtime licensing fees. It includes full source code, numerous sample applications, 450+ pages of well-written documentation, and 30 days of online technical support. NeoAccess can be ordered by using Visa, MasterCard, Discovery or American Express card by calling 1 (800) 799-4737. Questions and orders using a company check or authorized purchase order (with NET 14 terms) can be submitted by using the addresses given below. Customers who purchased version 2.3 of NeoAccess after August 1st will receive a free upgrade to NeoAccess 3.0. Other NeoAccess customers can upgrade for $249 per developer (plus shipping and tax). Purchasers are encouraged to include the name and an electronic mail address for each developer with their order. NeoLogic Systems 1450 Fourth St, Suite 12 Berkeley, CA 94710 U.S.A. Vox: (510) 524-5897 Fax: (510) 524-4501 Internet: neologic@holonet.net CIS: 71762,214 AOL: NeoLogic AppleLink: NeoLogic ************************************** From: goranson@isi.edu Subj: Patterned Architectures To: FWList >>From: efeustel@ida.org >>Subj: Structural Models and Patterned Architectures define Frameworks >> >>Those interested in the above statement should read the article: >> >>Structural models and patterned architectures by William Pollak and Michael >>Rissman, Carnegie Mellon University SEI, IEEE Computer Magazine, August 1994, >>pp. 67-68. >> >>I'd be interested in discussing this article in the listserve or offline. >> >>Edward A. Feustel, Research Staff Member Phone: (703)-845-6657 >>Institute for Defense Analyses FAX: (703)-845-6848 >>Computer and Software Engineering Division >>1801 N. Beauregard Street email: efeustel@ida.org >>Alexandria, VA 22311-1772 Edward-- (The article describes an approach developed within the military simlation/training community. The approach leverages a set of primitives which represent common, fine-grained structures found in the domain. Some development advantages are outlined, and other advantages hinted. Generally, these utilize the concept of "patterns" of the primitives as a systems engineering technique. Hope that does justice to the article.) Our work assumes the power of these patterned approaches for integrating large, complex, dynamic systems. We have developed a language based on the grammar of structural primitives found in common representation systems; this allows patterns to be found in systems where they were not intentional, by a process of directed metamodeling. We can then relate patterns of one domain to patterns of another in an ordered way, using algebriac techniques. This technique could be used to quickly integrate processes in large, multicorporate manufacturing enterprises, such as required by modern weapons (and many commercial systems). Some in-depth discussion of model federation by pattern normalization is found in "Enterprise Integration Modeling," MIT Press. There are 9 papers in all dealing with this (all authored by myself), with the most cogent beginning on pages 340 and 431. This work was partially sponsored by the Air Force Manufacturing Technology Directorate and DARPA. I would be happy to discuss issues related to patterned architectures and their primitives in the list (if there is interest) or offline. Currently, the approach has been proposed as a basic mechanism of the Advanced Technology Program's focused program on (fine-grained, semantically-based) Component-Based Software. Additionally, the last two years have seen some advanced thinking of using the technique to build and integrate simulations of manufacturing scenarios with combat simulations. The idea would be to inform a Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis of new weapons systems. This may be supported under the AF's new Virtual Manufacturing Initiative. Best, Ted =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- .....| Ted Goranson, Sirius-Beta | | .....| 1976 Munden Pt, Va Beach VA 23457-1227 | ARoarABoaryAlice | .....| 804/426-6704, Fax 804/721-0781 | | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ************************************** From: mmr@sei.cmu.edu Subj: Re: Patterned Architectures Ted, Yes, you did do justice to the article, as did Edward when he saw the relationship between structural models and frameworks. I'm interested in your work, and will track down the references. In the meantime. I'm here to answer questions about structural models. We haven't published much of them but are about to issue a guidebook under ASC/YW's cover. Michael Rissman 412-268-6753 ************************************** End Frameworks Digest