Business OS Features

With the advent of the Internet, the need for distributed client/server applications is increasing. Indeed it seems that one wave of client/server technology has already passed. Developers are building the next generation using distributed objects. Unfortunately, the basic process of developing distributed object systems is a complex task, requiring personnel who posses high levels of expertise. Mission Software's Business OS® (Object System) is a product that sets out to capture that expertise in a software framework that simplifies this process.

Design Criteria

Mission Software's Business OS® framework has evolved from work done with clients and from in-house development. There are nine design goals that are important to the business framework. These goals are as follows:

• Simplify distributed applications
  -Allow the development of distributed applications without the need for distributed experienced staff

• Increase speed and scalability
  -As the complexities of distributed applications increase so does the need for speed and scalability

• Support 3-tier applications
  -Provide a means through which to connect to object and relational databases

• Run via the Internet.
  -The higher latency and lower bandwidth of the Internet compared to a LAN provide additional problems

• Minimize the client memory footprint
  -Pulling data back and forth from the server can potentially lead to a bloated client memory

• Support a layered architecture
  -When programming with objects it is very important to have a well-layered design to provide maximum re-use and flexibility

• Provide transaction and concurrency control
  -Due to large number of clients, transaction and concurrency control become vital

• Provide security support
  -Security is important in distributed systems as distributing an application can increase the number of ways to illegally access a system

• Provide a set of typical business objects
  -To aid development of applications by re-using common business logic