Objects in start-up mode - object-oriented databases gain in popularity - Editor's Letter - Editorial

Software Magazine, Sept, 1992 by John Desmond

The petrochemical industry is attracted to object-oriented databases because it has pushed relational to the limit in describing complex data types, such as seismic data.

The telecommunications industry has found object-oriented approaches effective for capturing the complexity and volume of its 24x7 transactions. The recent Object World show in San Francisco's Moscone Center, which had 65 exhibitors, up from 37 in 1991, is indicative of the maturing software segment.

Todays market is characterized by promise. Cupertino, Calif.-based Taligent, the Apple/IBM joint venture to write a next-generation operating system, is committed to object technology, but it has no product yet. Joseph Guglielmi, chairman and CEO, said, "To Taligent, objects are our world. There is no fallback position."

Steve Jobs, chairman and CEO of Next Computer, Inc., Redwood City, Calif., suggested that "objectware" will become a new software delivery mechanism. "These components will completely alter the make/buy decision," he said. Maybe.

Hewlett-Packard Co. is concentrating on selling object technology to MIS. "We've built an object management system on top of a relational database," said Doug Dedo, HP marketing manager in Cupertino. The product, OpenODB, has been licensed by Informix Software.

Jim Allchin, Microsoft's vice president of advanced systems, described an object layer at the base of NT. Microsofts Dynamic Data Exchange has object-orientod features, which are extended by the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) features of Windows 3.1. "The goal of OLE is to take an object and embed it into a document," Allchin said.

Philippe Kahn, chairman, president and CEO of Borland, said, "Today the only thing object-oriented about OLE is its name. There is no inheritance, no encapsulation and no polymorphism."

Objects may represent a new world, but we still get the same digs. Many products are available to help IS professionals experiment with the technology, but the technology risk for now remains high.