News

Compuware: One Java, .NET size doesn't fit all

• By Rich Seeley
• August 7, 2002

For all the talk about technology-agnostic developer tools, it is probably easier for Red Sox and Yankee fans to find common ground than it is for adherents to Java or .NET.

At least, that is what Rob Straight and Peter Varhol of Detroit-based Compuware Corp. found in their company's quest to provide the latest analysis, debugging and tuning tools for developers of Web services and other applications.

'We've found that, by and large, customers are typically doing either Microsoft .NET technology development or Java development, but typically not both,' said Straight.

'The dichotomy we're seeing is within individual development groups and projects,' added Varhol. 'You can go into enterprises, especially larger enterprises, and still see pockets of both Microsoft and Java development. However, they rarely mix.'

The two Compuware product managers find the capabilities of Java vs. .NET to be 'very similar.' The choice seems based on the intangibles of personal likes and dislikes that fuel theological debates. 'It's more a developer and project group preference,' said Varhol.

However, it has become difficult if not impossible for Compuware to continue providing agnostic tools for analysis, debugging and tuning that fit the needs of both camps. So Compuware has made a corporate decision to quit trying, according to Straight.

The latest version of the company's DevPartner Studio 7.0, scheduled to be available this month, is specifically for the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET developer. In the fall, the company is scheduled to release DevPartner Studio Java Edition.

With its long-standing partnership with Microsoft, Compuware has been able to integrate its tools into Microsoft Visual Studio .NET to the point where they appear on pull-down menus within the Redmond, Wash.'s favorite development environment.

Because Java -- for good or ill -- is not one company's bailiwick, the Java Edition will require on-going updates for the many vendors offering tools and platforms in that space. To keep pace, the Compuware group working on the Java Edition will concentrate exclusively on the dynamics of that technology, Varhol explained.

For further information, click on http://www.compuware.com