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It would be great if we could get into the Eclipse-based development community (see this post) and open Gen up to the world.

It seems that there is a DEFINITE move to the Eclipse-based toolset – the new Diagram Trace Facility is Eclipse-based, so the whole Gen toolset will eventually be Eclipse based.

Could it look like this ? (click to get a better view!)

This is a mock-up by me, but maybe the shape of things to come. For a while, the Gen iterface has looked dated, and this could be the update it needs. In addition, the podcast talks about a potential re-architecting of the toolset – what more could this mean ? Could it be the start of a new life for the tool ? Hopefully CA are begining to invest more time and effort in it, and push it toward becoming the tool of choice. It has it all – a code repository, multi-database and platform support, mixed platform support – need I go on ?

Get the podcasts here at the EDGE website.

CA’s President and CEO John Swainson speaks about the value that CA Gen brings to global organizations, trends in the market, CA’s commitment to CA Gen and the strength of EDGE as a user community.

Play it here:

John Swainson, President and CEO of CA, has great influence over the direction and evolution of CA Gen. This 3-minute informational podcast includes a discussion focusing on why he supports CA Gen and EDGE. He also discusses how CA is actively working on CA Gen release 8. Listen to John share his thoughts on the future of CA Gen and how you can make a difference in this plan by attending EDGEucate 2007, October 28-31 .

Don’t miss the hands-on labs, the exciting product updates from CA, and the more than 20 technical sessions focusing on Service-Oriented Architecture, Web Enablement, Legacy Modernization and more. In addition to the education, EDGEucate 2007 has great networking opportunities in store.

Don’t forget…Early-bird rates for EDGEucate 2007 end this Friday. If you register by 8/31, you’ll save $200! EDIT: Expired Offer

Download the Advance Program today for complete event details and to access the faxable registration form.

Also, registration for EDGE EMEA 2007, being held September 30-October 2 at Ditton Manor, UK is live. To sign up for this International event, go to www.eventbookings.com/ec2096.

To learn more about EDGEucate 2007, e-mail or call EDGE at +1.312.245.1589.

I think that it’s important that this strong message gets through to all the organisations that use Gen worldwide, to reinforce that Gen has a rosy future, and will support all new technologies, platforms and infrastructures going forward.

EDIT:   Also check out the EDGE’s new podcast site ! Next podcast will be EDGE members talking about EDGEucate 2007 and EDGE EMEA 2007

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Additionally, aside from some configuration issues, the service was generated in total, in around 30 minutes!

“If it sounds too good to be true – then it probably is”… is what people normally say about these type of claims, but in this case, I have to support the fact that it IS good, and it IS true !

The Java Proxy just worked, out of the box (see last post!!!) and the Web Service Wizard gave me some WSDL that, again, simply worked with no adjustment. We formed a view that to publish an existing Gen procedure step would require a small amount of rework to adjust the views presented to the outside world, a bit of repackaging and hey-presto, there’s your web service done!

The benefit of all of this of course is that the business logic is contained in one model, and in our case, deployed on the same set of boxes. Taking the alternative approach of building stuff from scratch would have taken months. Surely this is the ultimate in “ROI” – returning the investment by reusing whole systems has gotta be the way to go……

“

The process is good, and simple, but it appears that there is no command-line interface to the Wizard. To be effective, I believe that it should be part of the toolset and be selectable on the generation options window and (depending on deployment options) generate a Java Proxy or an EJB as the basis for the WSDL, and have those selections drivable from a command line for automated builds.

Hopefully in upcoming releases of the toolset this may be a possibility.

“

I believe that he says this because he is an advocate of Domain Specific Languages, and that for each specific role in a large enterprise, a specific DSL should be chosen, and that they be integrated by standards-based connectivity. Gen is, as he puts it, entirely self-contained. He advocates replacing the model with source code control.

I would put it a different way.

Source code control, to me is a backward step, and model-based development is a forward step ! I do agree with what he says, though on standards-based connectivity between disparate technologies. DSL’s have been around for years – haven’t they ? We used assembler for the low-level, fast, intricate stuff,with COBOL for the bulk data-processing elements of the system.

What was missing then was the standards based connectivity between parts of systems. Now we have that, all is well, since as long as Gen can adhere to the standards, then Gen can be part of the “new world”.

Gen (in my mind) could be considered a DSL, BEST SUITED for enterprise-scale, reliable data processing operations.

In addition, Bill thinks that a code and model approach is also required, presumably with a two-way interaction between the model and the code and the code and the model. I don’t believe this in a Gen environment, since Gen’s strength is NOT allowing the developers to see the code, and allowing them to violate model constraints – also, having direct access to the code assumes a specific target platform – how many of Microsoft’s tools can deploy the same piece of business logic on a mainframe, PC or Unix server ???.

Microsoft’s way forward with these tools assumes a Windows environment – there is a world outside Windows !!!

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Here, I’m focussing on the front end of things – i.e. the developer IDE.

Is there a place for an alternative IDE for the Gen tool ?

Certainly, portions of the toolset leave a lot to be desired, and some parts of the tool have already been re-engineered (the diagram trace facility as an Eclipse Rich Application), and alternative reporting tools and support tools like GuardIEN have matured.

BUT the user interface to the core development tool still leave me a little cold.

With the new releases of Gen, the advance into Eclipse has gathered momentum, but is that enough ?

There seem to be two opposing camps here – the Microsoft camp and the Eclipse camp. For me, used to a Microsoft-centric approach, it would seem a good move to me to adopt some of the Microsoft ideas, however there are those who favour the Eclipse approach would say that using Eclipse as a grounding for a development environment is the way forward.

But is there space for a third approach, a hybrid of them all ?

If CA were to keep control of the fantastic encyclopedia API and allow other developers to develop DEVELOPMENT interfaces to the tool, like they have done with other aspects, then 3rd parties could take the best of both worlds, and leave the worst of those worlds alone, and develop a dynamic, easy-to-use, productive, Gen-centric interface, with which to work.

 Maybe Gen could evolve into something which isn’t a tool, but a framework into which others’ tools slot in to produce the most effective working environment for the developer.

Those tools could include 3rd party interfaces, reporting tools, generators, and oher supporting items, all seamlessly integrating into a single framework, so that the developer/analyst/designer isn’t aware that they are using different vendors’ products.

What will you do at EDGEucate 2007 ?

• Participate in more than 20 technical session and several Vendor Presentations that will keep you on top of the industry’s latest trends.
• Discuss specific software needs with an impressive panel of company representatives at the EDGEucate Trade Show.
• Network with your peers during the event and at the Tuesday Night Reception, sharing experiences and tips with fellow CA Gen users
• Sign up to become an EDGE volunteer and foster the growth of this unique association!

See the CA-Gen’s most respected users, customers and CA partner vendors in a fantastic setting – Southfork Ranch made famous by JR and the rest of the “Dallas” cast in the 1980′s !

Download the advance program and registration details -

Click here for Hotel details

Don’t forget

EDGE EMEA 2007 in Ditton Park, London

September 30th – October 2nd 2007