lalonde@nicmad.UUCP (John Lalonde) (03/28/89)
Has anyone read Ovum Ltd.'s report on Object-oriented Systems? In part 2
there is suppose to be a comparison of languages and tools. This comparison
includes Eiffel. How did Eiffel compare with the other languages in the
eyes of the Ovum Ltd. authors?
A plea to ISE from prospective new users: make Eiffel more affordable !!!
Any new language has substantial new hurdles to overcome before gaining
*true* industry acceptance. There is strong momentum behind C++ which has
to be effectively countered by products that are based on superior technology
but have less exposure and not enough critical mass (yet). People like
myself have a real job on our hands to explain to non-technical management
why we should use a more expensive and lesser-known technology like Eiffel
instead of C++. Upper management looks at product development proposals
based on new technology from the perspective of return-on-investment and
risk analysis and not always from the viewpoint of technological superiority.
I would predict that Eiffel would gain critical mass much earlier if it were
more affordable. Universities are given affordable rates why not commercial
ventures? My point is that universities are *not* the sites where production
systems are built; they typically build experimental systems. Eiffel will
not hit critical mass until enough commercial ventures are using it to
build *real* production systems. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed
on getting Eiffel into the hands of the programmers employed in mid-size or
smaller shops, not just the Phillips, AT&Ts and Suns of this world!
Big companies can afford current Eiffel technology. Small companies will be
hard pressed to commit their scarce financial resources to more expensive
technology that does not have any kind of track record even if it *appears*
to be the superior technology. Historically, it has been the smaller
companies that are the first to adopt new software technologies and deliver
new products based on these technologies. Larger companies will investigate
but are usually much slower in getting out new products based on these
new technologies. Eiffel needs to *used* not just investigated in order to
gain critical mass. By making Eiffel more affordable, I think that smaller
companies will be much more likely to use Eiffel.
I realize that ISE needs to recover their investment and make a profit in
order to grow and prosper. My statements reflect my belief that this next
year is an important year for establishing critical mass with respect to
object-oriented languages and tools. Many companies are preparing for new
projects and key *long-term* software technology investment decisions will
be made. Once these strategic development decisions are made, it be very
difficult to reverse language decisions for a number of reasons. In my
opinion, the next 12 to 18 months will be critical for establishing industry
acceptance of object-oriented languages and tools.
I will now step down from my soap-box... :-)
--
John LaLonde
Nicolet Instrument Corporation
uucp: {ucbvax,rutgers,harvard}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!lalondeplogan@mntgfx.mentor.com (Patrick Logan) (03/30/89)
In article <3813@nicmad.UUCP> lalonde@nicmad.UUCP (John Lalonde) writes:
=> Has anyone read Ovum Ltd.'s report on Object-oriented Systems? In part 2
=> there is suppose to be a comparison of languages and tools. This comparison
=> includes Eiffel. How did Eiffel compare with the other languages in the
=> eyes of the Ovum Ltd. authors?
How is this report made available?
Thanks.
--
Patrick Logan | ...!{decwrl,sequent,tessi}!mntgfx!plogan
Mentor Graphics Corporation | plogan@pdx.MENTOR.COM
Beaverton, Oregon | (Remember I represent my self, not Mentor.)ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (04/03/89)
I would say that just about any collection of Usenet readers qualifies as a critical mass. -- --Andrew Koenig ark@europa.att.com
florman@randvax.UUCP (Bruce Florman) (04/05/89)
In article <3813@nicmad.UUCP> lalonde@nicmad.UUCP (John Lalonde) writes: >A plea to ISE from prospective new users: make Eiffel more affordable !!! HEAR, HEAR!!!! I agree 100 percent with Mr. Lalonde's sentiments. Every day I hear that C++ is the wave of the future. When I mention Eiffel, nobody's heard of it. If ISE want to make Eiffel popular, they have to find some way of making people aware of it and getting them to try it. Reducing the price would be a big step in the right direction. Even those of us who are already excited about Eiffel are having a very hard time trying to justify the price to our bosses, especially when C++ compilers can be obtained for free. I too realize that ISE needs to recover their initial investment and make a profit, but trying to recover everything from their first 50 customers is nothing but a good way of making sure that the sales office doesn't get swamped. At my own workplace, there are several of us who are interested in Eiffel, but none of us have project money at our disposal. Nobody with money wants to start a project based on Eiffel without any in-house expertise, and nobody can get that expertise without access to a compiler. We have been able to get an evaluation copy of the compiler which will expire at the end of this month, and I am trying to put together a small demonstration program in my spare time. If all goes well, maybe I can convince somebody to part with a little more money. But this is not the way that C and Pascal became popular (and profitable) languages, and it's not likely to foster much in the way of grass-roots support for Eiffel either. -Bruce Florman (florman@rand.org) -The RAND Corporation
lalonde@nicmad.UUCP (John Lalonde) (04/05/89)
>=> Has anyone read Ovum Ltd.'s report on Object-oriented Systems? In > >How is this report made available? The name of the Report is "Object-oriented Systems: the Commercial Benefits" The address of the firm is Ovum Ltd 7 Rathbone Street Lndon W1P 1AF England Tel 01-2552670 Fax 01-2551995 The report costs $995. They sent me a notice of their reports through the mail. They have other reports on dbms strategies, case, etc.. I have not seen any of their reports first-hand. -- John LaLonde Nicolet Instrument Corporation uucp: {ucbvax,rutgers,harvard}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!lalonde