* Forwarded (from: Netmail) by Mike Bilow using BilowMail0.2.
* Original dated: Mar 19 '96, 11:02

a number of practitioners do not like it for that reason.

Moreover, there is already a product, called BridgePoint, from 
Shlaer and Mellor's company, Project Technology, which provides 
exactly this technology. Given that ObjChart will not be 
available until mid-1997, this either means that IBM will be two 
years behind BridgePoint if it is to use Shlaer/Mellor or that it 
will be developing its own methodology.  Although it is 
fashionable to do this (as in Hewlett-Packard's Fusion and 
Software AG's Mainstream Objects) there seems no good reason for 
it and, in any case, it is likely to have to be as rigorous as 
Shlaer/Mellor if it is to achieve the same ends.

If this was not enough, we also have the technology exchange 
between VisualAge and JBA's Guidelines. Guidelines is one of the 
best kept secrets in the marketplace. It was originally developed 
to provide in-house re-engineering facilities for JBA developers 
to redevelop their existing applications for use in modern 
environments.  It proved sufficiently successful that JBA has 
made it available to the market in its own right. It is object 
oriented, includes its own repository and development language, 
and provides CORBA compliant messaging. It is also SOM/DSOM 
compatible. It supports a wide range of 3GL languages and host 
database interfaces, while applications can be deployed in 
client-centric, server-centric and distributed environments. In 
other words it is another 2nd generation client/server tool 
which, one must assume, would compete directly with the 
integrated VisualGen/VisualAge product that is planned. It 
therefore seems strange that IBM would enter into such an 
arrangement.

But then again, IBM seems to be making a habit of this sort of 
thing lately. Take its takeover of Tivoli. There is a big overlap 
between what Tivoli has to offer and IBM's own SystemView 
management product, but IBM seems keen to produce a better 
product out of the two components. Can it take the best of JBA 
and add it to its own?

To conclude, IBM clearly feels that VisualAge and VisualGen 
represent cornerstones for its future development environment. 
However, there are distinct shades of AD/Cycle to be detected 
here. This is not merely because Team Connection sees the 
introduction of an IBM repository, together with DataAtlas 
providing a CASE tool.  More particularly, there is a clear sense 
that the products lack focus. Or, more accurately, that there is 
focus in multiple directions.  Lots of interesting, and 
potentially market winning, developments are under way, but there 
appears to be a lack of coherence, a dearth of direction and no 
clear marketing message.

It might just be that San Francisco will, at least, provide a 
clear marketing vision for some excellent tools. 
 

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