by webadmin | Dec 16, 2011 | .NET, general, Software Development
Visual basics software is programming software created by Microsoft to aid in the development of programs and applications. The .NET framework is also a Microsoft windows creation designed specifically for use in applications developed on a windows platform. It is basically a large base class library that makes it possible for language interoperability to take place (i.e.: it allows each programming language, in its framework to use codes written in other programming languages). The VB to .NET integration promises to revolutionize program and application development by optimizing the individual functions of visual basics and .NET framework software. VB to .NET is basically an introduction of various syntactical changes and migration to the visual basics programming software. In fact, these VB to .NET features may make it a bit harder to acclimatize, for programmers who started of using Quick basic and GW basic. Though it was easier to upgrade from these program builders to MS visual basic while building up on basic programming knowledge, an upgrade from VB to .NET will not be so simple. This new program has optimized programming by altering coding rules; increasing the number of low-level constructs that are exposed and enforcing a number of programming practices. The major change visible in the VB to .NET program is the IDE. The Integrated Development Environment in this upgraded version presents differences in interfaces. The property page design for the Active X design for instance has been replaced by a property grid display. That said though, VB to .NET still retains the options available in the visual basics software; just displayed in an easier and more flexible manner....
by webadmin | Dec 13, 2011 | COTS, general
The acronym “COTS” is used to refer to commercially available off the shelf items sold in both substantial and commercial quantities in the market place. Such items can generally be bought or used under government contact in the exact form or structure as available to the public. For instance, technology related products such as hardware systems, computer software and construction materials all qualify as commercially available off the shelf items. Typically, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) based software solutions are commonplace for their timely and affordable provision of standardized functionality. Purchasing commercially available off the shelf software is an alternative to in house developments. Such products offer both government institutions and many businesses the chance to make a considerable saving in procurement, maintenance and development of computer software systems. Because COTS generally requires configuration that is developed for specific uses, its employment has been mandated across numerous business and government programs. Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software solutions have become commonplace in many domains, including establishments such as the military, because they can provide standardized functionality with more responsiveness, a shorter time-to-market and at lower costs than custom made solutions. The main motivation for employing commercially available off the shelf software’s for most businesses is the desire to cut back on overall system cost and development which is achieved since components can be licensed or purchased instead of being constructed from scratch. Another big motivation for using COTS is that doing so reduces long maintenance costs. Some of the advantages of COTS software are: – They are specifically fashioned for business, institution or organizational needs and can be tailored to fit respective individual...
by webadmin | Dec 6, 2011 | general
Most organizations run on legacy software systems. Legacy software consists of programs and applications that are essential to the running of the organizations basic functions. Though most of them are outdated as they were written ages ago using programming language that is now considered obsolete, companies can’t simply get rid of them. Scrapping your legacy software in lieu of a more modern version is not a very good idea for a number of reasons: There is a chance that replacement software may not be as good as your legacy system. Furthermore it may take a long time to get used to the new system and its intricacies, time you could be spending to improve on other aspects of your business. Throughout the years in which you have been using your legacy software it has been accumulating knowledge and experience. Switching to a replacement system means also discarding this knowledge. Users of the legacy software may prefer to continue using the old system as they were more familiar with its workings. Switching would mean depriving them of this confidence and it could result in more than a few hang-ups. It is because of these reasons that companies spend into the millions when it comes to maintaining their legacy systems. Aside from the exorbitant costs associated with supporting original legacy software languages, there is a deficiency in both man power and IT systems that can integrate with legacy systems. Since the original programming language for legacy systems is hard to find, most young professionals are unwilling to learn them as it does not exactly one of their career goals. Furthermore legacy...
by webadmin | Nov 28, 2011 | general, Software Development
In 1965, Gordon Moore predicted that transistor density would double every 18 months. Basically, what this means is that every 18 months, the performance capacity of electronic circuits would double, thus making computers faster and more powerful. This increased computing capacity has been balanced out by equally fast advances in software development. As Moore’s law holds true, it has prompted rapid developments in Information Technology and as such spurred the move to modernize software systems. In recent years, the number of technologically savvy individuals has grown exponentially. This increase in numbers has also resulted in increased consumer demand for certain services such as online tech support from businesses, virtual websites, social networking sites, and modern applications, to name a few. In a bid to keep up with and benefit from the latest technological developments, many organizations have chosen to modernize software systems. Though it may be a daunting (and expensive) task to update software on the basis of how fast new software developments take place, organizations should still try to modernize software systems regularly. This is especially so in the case where new systems would directly contribute to positive gains in the organization’s operations. Some of the reasons why management should put into action a plan to modernize software systems are: 1. Makes the organization more efficient The use of modern software in an organizational setting is aimed at increasing professionalism and competency, by allowing the organization to be more responsive to customers and to new regulatory or business requirements. If an organization decides to modernize software systems, it reduces the amount of time it takes to perform business...
by webadmin | Aug 22, 2011 | general
We get a lot of requests for a demo. And there are a lot of vendors who will demo “at the drop of a hat”. It’s even possible, and reasonable, for the vendor to record that kind of demo and make it available to run anytime. After all, a canned demo is a canned demo — so there’s no real difference between a recorded one and a live one. Over a Webex, you don’t have the opportunity to look under the covers anyway. But, looking under the covers is exactly what a customer needs to do. We produce modernized code that looks like programmers wrote it for a new development effort — there is no trace of the old Natural or COBOL or other legacy code unless we’re asked to include it as comments somewhere. And of course the new programs have a completely different structure from the legacy code. That a big and important difference. The two big risks in modernization are performance and maintainability. If you’re coming from a mainframe environment, probably the users are used to snappy screen response, even if there are thousands of users. If you give them a system that is slower than they are used to, do you think they will be happy? Of course not. If you translate the old code line by line, there are shared functions and classes that can become a bottleneck in the new application. Performance problems typically surface at user loads of dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of users. The other issue is maintainability, which we talked of in another blog post. But it takes a technical...
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