Application Development Trends' News


Toolmakers discuss easing EJB development

Various J2EE toolmakers have worked in recent years to ease the task of developing to the J2EE platform. Perhaps only a few of their advances have had much effect to date on EJB design, which is for some shops a key part of J2EE.

Timing is Everything

I know they didn't plan it that way, but Microsoft's most recent Issues essay couldn't have come out at a more unfortunate time.

Road work ahead: Ken Orr on planning

When the head of the CIA in April estimated it would take five years to build new intelligence organizations, many bridled. After all, this is the age of just-in-time systems! But for IT systems, if not international intelligence networks, such a long view is not a bad thing at all. That was the word recently from Ken Orr, author of “Structured Systems Development” and “Structured Requirements Definition,” and a perpetually friendly gadfly on the systems scene.

Profile of Michael Cusumano: The business of software is ... software?

MIT expert Michael Cusumano’s new book considers the lot of software vendors. If they don’t regularly examine how they do business, he concludes, trouble can ensue.

Lessons learned from experience: A review of 'Lessons in Program Management'

Unlike other books of its ilk, "Lessons in Program Management" does not set out to teach you about some complicated project management scheme. Instead, it simply tries to teach some basic concepts that apply no matter what complicated project management scheme you're trying to use.

You can never be too rich, says Groove Networks

IBM's announcement last week of plans to deliver software designed to create a centrally managed server hub for delivering enterprise apps to PCs seems to have fired up the old thick- vs. thin-client debate, at least among analysts and the tech media. Industry mavens noted that Big Blue's new thin-client Lotus Workplace offering could loosen mighty Microsoft's tight grip on the desktop.

At Gartner Summit: Tibco unveils new BAM tool

Tibco Software Inc. unveiled a new Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) offering for both IT managers and business analysts at the Gartner Application Integration and Web Service Summit this week.

At Gartner Summit: Jacada joins the Navy

Providing a case study in the use of XML Web services for internal integration, Jacada Ltd. unveiled a new tool for "fusing" applications during the Gartner Application Integration and Web Service Summit.

Telelogic tool promises to extend requirements

Telelogic is set to announce the release of the 7.1 version of its venerable requirements management toolset.

At Gartner Summit: Software AG debuts integration portfolio

Software AG is looking to move deeper into the legacy integration space with its XML Business Integration Portfolio, which the company debuted at the opening of the Gartner Application Integration and Web Service Summit in Los Angeles

The danger of the magpie developer

There are lots of ways to think about good software. Is the balance seriously off in recent years?

Cisco to hire 1,000 in U.S.

Silicon Valley seems to be getting a taste of the good old days. With the highly publicized Google IPO looming large, industry bellwether Cisco Systems last week announced plans to hire 1,000 workers. The San Jose Mercury News characterized the plan as the "biggest surge in its workforce since the Internet boom."

Microsoft, Micro Focus lead mainframe migration effort

Micro Focus, Rockville, Md., and Microsoft Corp. have agreed to a joint effort aimed at helping IT organizations migrate mainframe applications onto Windows-based systems.

Security steps for developers

Don't leave application security for tomorrow.

Sun opens test warehouse for RFID

Sun puts its money where its mouth is when it promised that it was "committed to driving the evolution of RFID technology and standards." The Santa Clara, Calif.-based systems company opened an RFID testing facility in Dallas.

Underplugged tools

There are plenty of tools - here's my current pick of some that could use a little more publicity, simply because they're useful to have around.

Q&A: Stephen White, IBM: BPMN spec aims to help join business and IT

The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI.org) recently began delivering release 1.0 of the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN 1.0), which is designed to provide a readily understandable, royalty-free notation for both business process design and business process implementation, according to the organization.

BMC, Marimba join forces in $240 million deal

BMC Software last week agreed to acquire Marimba, a Mountain View, Calif.-based maker of change and configuration management solutions, in a cash deal valued at approximately $240 million.

BEA bundles Motive self-management tools with WebLogic

Motive Inc., an Austin, Texas-based vendor of Java-based software tools for modeling, diagnosing and fixing computer problems, is moving into the J2EE market with an alliance with BEA Systems Inc. Under an agreement announced jointly by the companies this month, BEA will use Motive's modeling technology to provide self-management capabilities for WebLogic Server.

IBM Unveils New Managed Clients

Firing the latest shot in the battle to control client side deployment costs, IBM is extending its middleware to run client side applications. IBM is releasing new versions of Lotus Workplace that will provide collaboration and lightweight productivity tools, while using server-based portal and software distribution technology to manage client deployment.