Object-Oriented Programming Using SOM and DSOM/Future Directions

SOM, with its set of Frameworks, provides the underlying facilities for building object-oriented applications in a language-neutral manner. However, this is only the beginning. SOM is envisioned as a "software bus" that links operating systems and compilers. Software components can be plugged into this bus and have access to resources located anywhere on the network.

To allow distributed applications to be built across multiple platforms, IBM is working on porting SOM to different systems including Windows, Apple System 7, MVS, OS/400, and Hewlett-Packard Unix. The SOMobject Developer Toolkit for Windows has been recently announced and will be available in the summer of 1994.

There will be new versions of SOM. It will continue to comply with CORBA as it evolves. It will also provide the following object services, which are being defined and standarized by OMG.

• Naming: provides the ability to attach textual names to object references.
• Event Notification: provides notification of asynchronous events.
• Life Cycle: defines services and conventions for creating, deleting, copying, and moving objects.
• Persistence: provides common interfaces to make all, or part of an object state persistent.

In addition, IBM is pursuing relationships with different vendors to integrate SOM into their environment. The following provides a summary of the announcements by different companies to incorporate SOM into various product offerings. This is an area of intense activity. We expect a number of other SOM related announcements in the coming months.

IBM and Hewlett-Packard Announcement

IBM's Personal Software Division (PSP) has announced an agreement with Hewlett-Packard (HP) to integrate IBM and HP object technologies into a common framework for distributed computing. This framework will provide the infrastructure needed to support the creation, management, and use of object-oriented applications in a heterogeneous, distributed systems environment.

The companies will integrate IBM's System Object Model (SOM) and HP's Distributed Object Management Facility (DOMF), with extensions for distribution (DSOM), into a robust enabling framework for the implementation of IBM and HP distributed object services, applications, and development tools - This will provide developers, systems administrators, and end-users with language-neutral, enterprise-wide, heterogeneous support for building, managing, and using distributed object-oriented applications that interoperate across multiple platforms — initially HPs and lBMs.

HP's DOMF and IBM's SOM/DSOM are implementations of the OMG's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) standard that provides location-transparent access to distributed objects. HP's DOMF provides access to distributed objects by utilizing the Open Software Foundation's (OSF) Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) technology. IBM's SOM and DSOM provides access to distributed objects by utilizing workgroup-based sockets. Together, these technologies will provide workgroup and enterprise-wide access to distributed objects.

The first IBM/HP object-framework products will be available across the HP 9000 Series 700 and Series 800 PA-RISC-based platform of workstations and business servers, and across IBM's range of OS/2-based PCs and AIX/6000 workstations. Availability is planned for 1994.

The IBM/HP technology will fully comply with the CORBA specification and provide significant additional capabilities not available today. The OMG's Interface Definition Language (IDL) will be supported as the standard for all objects created in the IBM/HP environment.

Digitalk Announcement

Digitalk, the developer of Smalltalk/V and PARTS, has licensed SOM and workstation DSOM for OS/2 and AIX with plans to incorporate the technology in a future release of Digitalk products. Smalltalk/V is a leading pure object-oriented programming language with more than 150,000 users. PARTS (Parts Assembly and Reuse Tool Set) Workbench for OS/2 and Windows is a client/server integration framework that enables rapid visual application development from prefabricated software components, including CICS, COBOL, and all popular databases. PARTS delivers the benefit of objects without the complexity in an interactive visual environment.

Jim Anderson, chairman of Digitalk, said, "Digitalk is committed to cross-platform, cross-language object interaction. IBM's licensing of SOM technology to Digitalk benefits our mutual customers by providing a single source for the premier object-oriented language, and the industry standard for cross-language object communication. With SOM, Smalltalk/V and C++ objects are interchangeable, so a wide range of Smalltalk/V and C++ class libraries are available to our customers."

ParcPlace Systems Announcement

ParcPlace Systems has announced plans to integrate SOM and workstation DSOM into ParcPlace's VisualWorks Smalltalk client/server development environment. The support of SOM, and workstation DSOM, will enable Smalltalk application developers to easily access objects developed in C++ or any other language that supports the SUM and workstation DSOM specification. VisualWorks is a powerful application development environment for corporate developers to create graphical, client/server applications that are instantly portable across PC, Macintosh, and Unix platforms. VisualWorks includes a graphical user interface builder, hierarchical, relational and object-oriented database access capabilities, reuse application framework, instant cross-platform portability; and the Smalltalk language.

Richard Dym, vice-chairman of marketing for ParcPlace, said, "ParcPlace is pleased to be working with IBM to enhance the opportunities for object-oriented application development. The integration of VisualWorks with SOM and DSOM enhances the best object-oriented client/server development tool for corporate IS groups, enabling them to leverage existing application investments and increase development productivity."

WATCOM Announcement

WATCOM has announced plans to integrate SOM and workstation DSOM into the WATCOM's C/C++ compiler, VX*REXX visual development environment, and PC-based client/server SQL database products. WATCOM plans to offer fundamental benefits to its customers by providing tools to create reusable software components that can be assembled to create business solutions in a distributed, heterogeneous computing environment.

Ian McPhee, president of WATCOM, said, "We intend to use SOM and DSOM to amplify the competitive advantage offered by WATCOM's application development tools. The SOM technology promises to deliver a flexible and efficient binary standard for object interfaces which, with SOM enabled tools, will let developers and users realize greater benefits from object-oriented software engineering."

Objective Inc. Announcement

Objective: Inc. has licensed SOM and workstation DSOM with the intent of releasing, in 1994, a MacroScope interface layer that provides a generic message interface to any object created with SOM and DSOM. The interface will enable developers to send messages to invoke any SOM/DSOM created facility The integration of SOM/DSOM into MacroScope produces the only fully-proven rapid development environment that is CORBA compliant.

Bernadette Reiter, president of Objective: Inc., said, "The real significance of IBM's SOM/DSOM being integrated with MacroScope is that business and organizations will immediately be able to start reaping the benefits of object technology They can have practical business solutions built in time frames they never thought possible. At the same time, they can exploit to the fullest their existing investments in hardware and software, and the most flexible options for future migration."

DirectToSOM

MetaWare announced at the Fall COMDEX' 93 in Las Vegas it has started beta shipments of its High C/C++ compilers for IBM AIX/6000 and OS/2 2.1 that include DirectToSOM support for IBM's SOM and workstation DSOM. DirectToSOM permits software developers to create SOM binaries by compiling standard C++ source code. Developers can move existing C++ code to SOM by recompiling all of the supporting components are included. Thereafter, recompiling will be needed only when source code changes are made.

Bennett Watson, president of MetaWare, said, "We believe that SOM is an important step in advancing C++ as a commercially-viable language. Reusable software components, a key promise of object-oriented methodology, is fulfilled by SOM. MetaWare and IBM have worked closely together to define DirectToSOM support for C++ compilers. MetaWare's High C/C++ for OS/2 2.1 and for IBM AIX/6000 systems are the first compilers to implement the DirectToSOM feature."

IBM has also announced that it will support native SUM and workstation DSOM in its C Set++ compilers starting in the first half of 1994.

VisualAge Announcement

IBM's VisualAge is an integrated application development environment designed for a client-server, mission-critical, line of business applications through visual programming and construction-from-components technologies. Using popular relational databases, VisualAge enables customers to develop client/server database applications.

IBM has announced plan for VisualAge to support SOM and workstation DSOM on OS/2 during the first half of 1994.

Summary

This chapter concludes the book and gives you an idea on where SOM is going. If you would like to find out more, or to order the SOMobjects Developer Toolkit, call 1 800 3-IBM-OS2.