CSEIC News Briefs, W/E July 11, 1997

CSEIC News Briefs, W/E July 11, 1997

[CSEIC]

Computer Systems Engineering News
Week Ending:  July 11, 1997

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FREE EXHIBIT PASSES AVAILABLE FOR OBJECT WORLD WEST '97
Topic:  Ada

The AJPO-sponsored Ada Information Clearinghouse (AdaIC) has free exhibit 
passes available for Object World West '97. Object World West will be 
held July 23-25 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.  Object World 
is one of the largest showcases for object technology products and services.
The passes are good for one day and provide access to the exhibit area
only. For more information contact the AdaIC at 1-800/232-4211.

SOURCE:  Don Rosen, AdaIC

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ADA IS BEST FOR OBJECT DATABASES
Topic:  Ada

In the June 1997 issue of Crosstalk, Michael P. Card of Lockheed 
Martin examines the reasons why Ada is the right choice for object
databases.

Object-oriented programming languages (OOPLs) allow application 
developers to write object-oriented programs that will run in main 
memory.  More complex object-oriented applications require persistent 
storage and concurrency control for their objects.  Object-oriented 
database management systems (ODBMSs) were created to satisfy these 
requirements.  An ODBMS adds persistence and concurrency control to an 
existing OOPL.  

The Object Data Management Group (ODMG) has published a 
standard (OMDG-93, Release 1.2) for ODBMSs written in C++ and Smalltalk.  
These are capable OOPLs but Ada 95 has features that make it a superior 
choice to build ODBMSs.  Unlike C++ or Smalltalk, the Ada language has 
built-in support for concurrent programming, as well as storage pools, 
which allow Ada objects to reside in persistent storage.

For more information, the article may be accessed at:  
<http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/CrossTalk/1997/jun/databases.html>.

SOURCE:  Card, Michael, "Why Ada is the Right Choice for Object 
Databases," Crosstalk, June 1997, v10, n6, pp 9-13, 24.

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LOCKHEED IMPROVES ITS DMS ARCHITECTURE
Topic:  DII

Lockheed Martin Corp. has revamped its Defense Messaging System (DMS) 
architecture from a "messaging-centric" architecture to a 
"groupware-centric" system that will better meet the needs of the DOD 
users with "significant cost savings," according to company officials.

Paul LeVesque. a Lockheed Martin staff engineer, said the company 
developed the new system design--delivered to DISA in June--because users 
"need more flexibility."

The original DMS architecture specified the "design down to servers on 
the base," said Glenn Kurowski, Lockheed Martin's chief DMS engineer.  
"Now we're going to put out a framework that will allow local sites to 
take advantage of... commercial products."  Kurowski asserted that this 
change "will make DMS more contemporary and look more like a system used 
today by Fortune 500 companies."

SOURCE:  Brewin, Bob, "Lockheed revamps DMS architecture," Federal 
Computer Week, June 23, 1997, v11, n17, pp 41, 44, http://fcw.com.

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HAL LEAVES HIS "HART" WITH SIGADA
Topic:  Ada

Hal Hart doesn't intend to reduce his active support of Ada in the 
least despite his "new" position as "Past Chair" of SIGAda.  Mr. Hart 
intends to fully take advantage of the SIGAda bylaws that provide 
for the immediate Past Chair to be a 7th voting member of the SIGAda 
Executive Committee (EC).

The newly elected officers took their places on July 1, 1997, with 
Benjamin Brosgol, heading the new Executive Committee, as Chair.  "SIGAda 
has 7 voting officers... and I will continue to be one of them as long as Ben
is Chair," stated Mr. Hart to the CSEIC."  "I don't want anyone getting the 
impression that Hal Hart is going away from SIGAda officialdom at all or 
that I will discontinue being a working point of contact...."

The new SIGAda Executive Committee is as follows:

CHAIR:  
Benjamin Brosgol, Aonix, 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803
+1-617/221-7317, mailto:brosgol@aonix.com

VICE-CHAIR FOR MEETINGS & CONFERENCES:
Currie Colket, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
SPAWAR PMW 133-2, 2451 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22245-5200
+1-703/602-1483(w), mailto:colket@colket.org
               
VICE-CHAIR FOR LIAISON:
S. Ron Oliver, 7655 Vernalis, Atascadero, CA 93422
+1-805/466-1898(w), mailto:sroliver@calpoly

SECRETARY:
John W. McCormick, Computer Science Dept.
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0507
+1-319/273-2618(w), mailto:mccormick@cs.uni.edu
     
TREASURER:
Bard Crawford
9 Patriots Drive, Lexington, MA 02173
+1-617/862-3613(w), mailto:bscrawford@aol.com

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE:  
Karlotto Mangold, c/o ATM Computer GmbH, 
Max Stromeyer Str. 160, D 78467 
Konstanz GERMANY, +49-7531-86-4235(w), mailto:mangold@atm-computer.de

PAST CHAIR:
Hal Hart, TRW - DH5/1638, 1800 Glenn Curtiss St., Carson, CA  90746
+1-310/764-6880(w), mailto:halhart@ACM.ORG

SOURCE:  CSEIC, Hal Hart

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