> From: Eric J Schubert <[log in to unmask]>
>

> <off-the-subject> There is a limit to the horsepower and weight you can
> supply to a front wheel drive car and still handle it, such as steering
> during acceleration.  I don't know the magic number, but after too much
> horsepower, rear wheel drive is required (so I read in a mechanics
magazine
> In a nutshell, 'rear wheel drive' represents the design of cars of the
> 1960's and early 1970's that were large frame large horsepower cars,
> yielding 6 to 14 miles per gallon fuel economy.  The market changed.  The
> appearance of smaller, lighter front wheel drive cars by former big car
> companies represented a commitment to 're-invention' of long held 'core'
> drive train and chassis technologies (breaking ranks with previous
decades
> of more of the same design...) in response to new market and environment
> demands.
>
> But this car to computing analogy has little to do with big car
technology.
> It has more to do with attitudes toward a changing computing climate,
> including the methods of process re-invention to meet those challenges.
> Starting about the late 1980's, the environment started to change
> drastically in the computing industry.

OK, Eric let's agree things change - both cars and computers evolve
and there is a trend toward stadardization and interoperability.

> <<some snipped>>
>
> Which caused an industry wide response...
>
>  1. Standard, more open interfaces to data sources.
>  2. Host based Internet/Intranet computing services.
>  3. Give users productivity gains over work process.
>  4. Enterprise wide services.
>  5. Multi-tier architectures.
OK on 1 through 4, but 5 is an ERROR.  WE need a thick (or
sometimes thin) client a communications network
and servers.   A third layer just adds unnecesary  complexity.
Put another way, one can have as many layers as one wants, but
as long as one has server to server communications capability,
one only needs two kinds of equipment and perating systems -
servers and clients.

>
> The HP3000 response was uncertain and slow at times to these new market
> demands, but is slowly being pulled along today.
>
> The Future?
>
> I see the future of computing being defined in software components.
> Software components allow an integrator to create applications visually,
> utilizing objects from many sources.  Distributed objects become a
machine
> abstraction that allow an integrator to create applications that exist on
> any remote server, more reliably and more uniform then ever was possible
> under previous methods.  Three tier gives the integrator fine control
over
> thin or thick client, to distribute the work load as they see best.
There we go again with "three tier".  See above.  Three tiers just
add complexity - client and server, two tiers are enough, unless one
considers the communications infrastructure a tier.>
> Again, being simplistic, the computing needs of the future are:
>
>  1. Three tier DCOM or CORBA distributed object infrastructures.
Agree, but again, two tiers are enough, with the Internet, intranets,
etc.  Sure, computers are used in the communications infrastructure,
But they are just glorified, automated, torn tape centers.  Just
kidding, obvioously they are more, but you get the thought.
>  2. Simple to use <intelligent> resource management agents.
>  3. Rapid Application Development OO component based software.
>
>
> One of the strongest shifts to distributed object computing is to break
> apart the goobly gook code of the traditional terminal-host application
into
> distinct network reachable services providing specific content.  SQL is
an
> old example of a standard service, but Object technologies have the
> potential to create many kinds of 'smart' services with many kinds of
> content.  For example, a ticker-tape stock market service over the
Internet.
> <<  Alot more snipped, most it appropriate, some crystal ball
gazing, but my crystal ball went to bed and I follow>>

Regards,

Nick

Nick Demos  [log in to unmask]
My opinions are my own and I stand behind them.

Performance Software Group
Tel. (410) 788-6777 Fax (410) 788-4476