Jim Lawrence
accessd at shaw.ca
Sat Feb 1 11:43:55 CST 2014
Hi Shamil: Very interesting. In the 70 to 80, I was blissfully unaware of distributive database systems...though this technology was growing rapidly, especially within universities, much of the local focus was on the migration from Minis and Mainframes and surge towards desktop PCs and NT servers. Personally, much of my work, at the time, was focused on old Unix (SCO), Informix, Sybase and subsequently MS SQL, VB and Access. Being completely focused on Microsoft contracts, at the time, did not give me an opportunity to become versed in other developments. To say the least, the last ten years have been a real eye-opener. Microsoft is no longer "the company" but just another company...this is not a criticism but a reality check. So now, I am seeing this staggeringly huge smorgasbord of products for every situation...Choices are becoming more difficult...Sometimes I feel like a starving man let loose in a grocery store and I want to take a bite of everything. ;-) Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Salakhetdinov Shamil" <mcp2004 at mail.ru> To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Friday, January 31, 2014 2:22:09 PM Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] A new graphic program builder Hi Jim -- Actually, AFAIKR, the heated debate that time was about - hierarchical vs. network (CODASYL) databases (70-ies last century) and then - network (CODASYL) vs. relational databases (80-ies last century). And ISAM/VSAM (and even BDAM) were a "parallel" theme - file access methods to use to implement RDMBSes physical layers. There were a lot of research on distributed databases also in 80-ies as well as on parallel/multi-threaded programming. AFAIU Oracle got a lot from DB2 and other relational DB research projects of 80-ies. Nowadays NoSQL "movement" for Big Data manipulation is looking as "another circle of evolution spiral" (back to hierarchical/network databases) - so one can expect that relational databases will get back in even "bigger that nowadays Big Data Manipulation real business" in 30 years or less on another higher level of never ending evolution spiral... As for Flow-Based Programming - IMO that is a "birds view" or tip of iceberg of what an experienced modern programmer has(/is able) to do by hands. And the gap between what can be done by using Flow-Based Programming (Automation) and by hands will only grow with time. Just my opinion based on my own experience. I can be wrong. Thank you. -- Shamil Wednesday, January 29, 2014 5:31 PM -07:00 from Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca>: >Hi Shamil: > >I remember around the time Borland was totting their new product, which at the time I thought was impossible, by the way, there was a heated debate about whether ISAM and indexed flat-based files were going to be replaced by Oracle's new SQL server. We all now know what happened. > >Products will live and die as the capabilities, needs and understand grows. Whether it is the right time for Flow-Based Programming the market will tell but the concept is not going away. The only thing that is giving me some hope that there actually be a working version, at the end of the design phase, is the very strong team of developers, working on the project. > >Jim > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Salakhetdinov Shamil" < mcp2004 at mail.ru > >To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" < dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com > >Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 2:58:44 AM >Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] A new graphic program builder > > Hi Jim et All -- > >I'm sorry to be rather skeptical on all that "new way" visual "logic drawing-driven" "rapid application development" tools - have a look: > >"by CBR Staff Writer| 12 February 1991 >... In another age the product might have been described as an expert system, but the buzz word now is Object and the product offers visual programming techniques to enable users to stipulate objects and processes via drawings..." http://www.cbronline.com/news/borland_objectvision_makes_writing_windows_programs_easy > >Do you remember it - Borland Object Vision? I do. > >And before that around year 1981 last century there was > >"Application Development Without Programmers" >James Martin (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Application-Development-Without-Programmers-Martin/dp/0130389439 > >Did you read it? I did. And I did read it on that ancient now times. It was exciting reading... that time. > >And the "Application Development Without Programmers" was published a few years *after* this well known book: > >"The Mythical Man-Month" by Fred Brooks >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month > >Did you read it? I did. And I did read it nearly the same time as I did read the "Application Development Without Programmers" book somewhere in the beginning of 80-ies of last century. (NB: that were ex-USSR times here, mainstream/bestselling there on "wild West" books were available here, but sometimes with considerable delay.) > >And somewhere in the beginning of 90-ies there was the "The Computer Revolution in Software System Development" ( http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Computer_Revolution/Software/System_Development ) - all kinds of software design case systems: does anybody of you using something like that in your everyday software development work? > >---- >Resume: there exists "something" elusive, subtle, intangible, imponderable, evasive, vague, volatile, subtle, inappreciable, impalpable - sorry for my English - select any word, which you suppose is better highlighting "never ending, durable software development crisis" issue.. there exists something, which will always make the "new ways of programming" getting obsolete rather quick. And this "something" is "Governing in details" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_is_in_the_detail ), which will always require 80% of software projects development time to be spent on to keep competing in this accelerating world... > >-- Shamil > > >Tuesday, January 28, 2014 7:59 PM -07:00 from Jim Lawrence < accessd at shaw.ca >: >>Hi All: >> >>For all you developers out there a new way of programming. Check out NoFlo another application that has reached (and surpassed) it financial goal and now is in full development on Kickstarter...another startup program out of San-Francisco. >> >> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/noflo/noflo-development-environment?ref=category >> >>Check this out and what do you think? >> >>Jim >> >>PS It is OSS >>_______________________________________________ >> > -- Салахетдинов Шамиль _______________________________________________ dba-Tech mailing list dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com