Sun's 5th Ace

If traditional software development tools keep getting better, why does software development keep getting harder?

The fact is, enterprise application development today is still characterized by frustration. Programmers feel it as they struggle to create dynamic applications using manual coding tools. You mean like the struggle of trying to create dynamic applications in static languages like Java? -tb IT managers feel it when senior executives suddenly change the core requirements of a software project that has been in the works for months. And executives feel it when they see the company miss a key business opportunity because the IT department couldn't build the needed software in the required time frame.

Object-oriented development and code reuse techniques were supposed to increase the productivity of developers. But today, programmers still face huge and growing backlogs of development projects. Clearly, it's time for a better option. It's time for a technology that can cut development cycles, simplify transitions from one architecture to another, and improve application performance and scalability--all at the same time.

Reads like an ad for Smalltalk. I agree there's a problem. But bandaids on Java aren't going to cut it. To create dynamic systems, you need dynamic languages. Funny how that hasn't sunk in at Sun though.

Nothing will come of this. You can safely ignore it.

Post #48,178 by tuberculosis 8/5/02 1:41:18 PM Reply	Sun's 5th Ace If traditional software development tools keep getting better, why does software development keep getting harder? The fact is, enterprise application development today is still characterized by frustration. Programmers feel it as they struggle to create dynamic applications using manual coding tools. You mean like the struggle of trying to create dynamic applications in static languages like Java? -tb IT managers feel it when senior executives suddenly change the core requirements of a software project that has been in the works for months. And executives feel it when they see the company miss a key business opportunity because the IT department couldn't build the needed software in the required time frame. Object-oriented development and code reuse techniques were supposed to increase the productivity of developers. But today, programmers still face huge and growing backlogs of development projects. Clearly, it's time for a better option. It's time for a technology that can cut development cycles, simplify transitions from one architecture to another, and improve application performance and scalability--all at the same time. Reads like an ad for Smalltalk. I agree there's a problem. But bandaids on Java aren't going to cut it. To create dynamic systems, you need dynamic languages. Funny how that hasn't sunk in at Sun though. Nothing will come of this. You can safely ignore it. I am out of the country for the duration of the Bush administration. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when democracy returns.
Post #48,245 by ben_tilly 8/5/02 6:59:12 PM Reply	Agreed, and... a fundamental lesson that I see IT never learning is that languages that scale to 10x as many developers but require 10x the code for the same task are a loss. You need more people to get the same amount done. How stupid can you get? But it is good for the project manager who wants to increase the size of their personal fiefdom... Cheers, Ben "Perl is like vice grips. You can do anything with it, and it's the wrong tool for every job." --Unknown
Post #48,250 by deSitter 8/5/02 7:20:10 PM Reply	Re: Agreed, and... Funny, the image I had was a lot of captured slaves, with body shoppers as slave traders. -drl

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