The list of attempts to make it possible to write less code is endless. Many of them use knowledge of the data model to automate a considerable part of the database access, such as these: Fourth generation programming languages (4GL) Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE) tools Model-driven development (MDD) Domain specific languages Object relational mapping... Continue Reading →
How my book about Vertically Integrated Architectures came into being
Paperback: 188 pages Release: January 2019 Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2ROBf9l I imagine most books start with lots of jotted down notes and ideas. So far so good, but some of my first notes and drawings for this book are already thirty years old. During my years of study, I learned about real databases and how they... Continue Reading →
3GL Programming Languages – The Endgame
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” (Pablo Picasso). I think that sums up the current state of affairs in programming languages. Ever longed for a missing feature in your favorite programming language? A good chance exists that it will be added within a few years, stolen from another language. I’m not saying that’s wrong, but... Continue Reading →
We Need Better Languages, Not More Frameworks
We tend to think that programming languages are getting smarter every year. But do they? Many people also believe that the endless stream of open source frameworks makes us more productive. But is that the full truth? It's hard to measure productivity. And, of course, we can produce more beautiful and bigger systems than ever... Continue Reading →
Code Generation is a Poor Man’s Compiler
Designing your own domain-specific or fourth-generation programming language is a lot of fun, I can tell you all about it. But when you go beyond just a design, you will inevitably be confronted with the question of how to run your code on a given platform. You might think that generating machine or virtual machine... Continue Reading →
Why Generic Programming is a Workaround
If you can write a generic class, like List, you deserve some respect. You're delivering generic behavior to potentially any type that you, or someone else, can use it for. While it’s one of the fancier features of programming languages, it’s also a great workaround for what would otherwise be type-unsafe operations in a type-safe... Continue Reading →
About Me
You can wake me up to debate the future of software development. I have been developing applications for more than thirty years and I have always tried to reflect on the ways we engineer all that stuff. It does not really bother me anymore whether some framework tries to solve some specific problem in a... Continue Reading →