For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Modernization Decisions: Migrate, Rewrite, Or Replace A 40-Year-Old Assembler Application?

by Phil Murphy, October 2, 2009

Client inquiries asking Forrester for help in making application modernization decisions have spiked in recent months, spurred on by firms' need to make the most of the applications they already own while jettisoning applications that no longer effectively . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

JavaOne: The Next Phase Is "Consumer + Choices"

Sun Finally "Gets It" But Needs To Move Fast To Succeed

by John R. Rymer, Jeffrey S. Hammond, June 9, 2008

At this year's twelfth annual JavaOne conference, the Java Nation was healthy and vibrant. At a reported 15,000 participants, attendance was strong despite the weak economy, and the conference featured more flexible and simpler choices for enterprise . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Enterprise Open Source Use In 2007  (410 KB PPT)

by Jeffrey S. Hammond, June 9, 2008

These data charts discuss trends seen in enterprise open source usage in 2007.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Custom Apps Development, North America Versus Europe  (130 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, January 3, 2008

This data chart surfaces trend in custom application development, and compares these trends between North American and European organizations.

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Custom App Development Trends, SMB Versus Enterprise, Q4 2007  (126 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, January 3, 2008

This data chart surfaces trends in custom application development, and compares these trends between SMBs and enterprises.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Dynamic Programming Languages, Q3 2007

Python Is An All-Purpose Leader; PHP And Perl Are Popular Options

by Jeffrey S. Hammond, Michael Goulde, August 16, 2007

Forrester evaluated leading dynamic programming languages across 90 criteria and found that Python, PHP, and Perl have established leadership, thanks to their dynamic programming language capabilities and breadth of focus. Python represents the best combination . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

PHP Is A Strong Leader In Open Source Projects

The Forrester Wave™ Project Summary, Q2 2006

by Michael Goulde, June 28, 2006

PHP is an open source scripted programming language that is ubiquitous on the Web but is used for a wide variety of other database applications as well. The most recent versions have incorporated object-oriented features to make it more competitive with . . .

Trends 2006: Language And Platform Adoption

by Carl Zetie, March 20, 2006

If you relied on the trade press, it would be easy to believe that the only platforms that matter to the enterprise are .NET and J2EE, along with the languages associated with them: Visual Basic.NET, C#, and Java. Forrester's latest Business Technographics® . . .

The Shortage Of Legacy Programmers — The Reality, The Hype, And What You Can Do About It

by Phil Murphy, November 23, 2005

The looming shortage of COBOL programmers is a common topic in the IT industry trade press. Some pundits fuel the shortage concerns with fuzzy mathematical equations that prove that the entire population of people with legacy skills will soon be extinct. . . .

Java, COBOL, And Perl Share A Common Problem

Lack Of Application Knowledge Creates Maintenance Issues

by Phil Murphy, November 11, 2005

Applications written in Java, Perl, C# or any other language just three years ago have begun to develop "legacy" attributes: The original authors are gone; the applications are poorly documented and poorly understood; and although the business relies . . .

Of Strategic Languages, Java's Adoption Is Highest

C# And VB.NET Are Also Strategic; Scripting Languages Have Notable Adoption

by Randy Heffner, July 12, 2005

According to Forrester survey data and analysis, Java's 66% penetration is the highest among strategic programming languages for enterprise applications. Visual Basic 6 (VB6) and C/C++ have nearly as much penetration as Java, but VB6 is past mainstream . . .

Aspect-Oriented Programming Considered Harmful

by Carl Zetie, April 14, 2005

There's a new idea in programming languages that is gaining in popularity among some Java language gurus. Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is intended to address common problems that object-oriented programming (OOP) doesn't address well, plus some problems . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Few Choices When Migrating Visual Basic Applications to Java or the Web

by Uttam Narsu, June 23, 2003

For converting to Java or the Web, there are few choices in migration tools, and the best approach will be to use a migration tool with some additional migration services.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Case Study: Consolidating on Linux, zSeries and COBOL Beat 'Integration' for Banking Services Provider

by Phil Murphy, Jost Hoppermann, June 23, 2003

Integration can be an effective approach to dealing with disparate technology, but in complex heterogeneous environments, such as synchronizing COBOL code and data across multiple hardware platforms, it can also be more costly.

No Monster Shortage of 'Legacy Skills' in 2003

February 20, 2003

Address the issue of availability of COBOL, PL/I and Assembler programmers locally/regionally, not globally. If a shortage is acute for a given skill (any skill) in a specific area, take steps to mitigate the shortage.

Smalltalk Decline Is Slow but Steady

by Carl Zetie, January 10, 2002

While a case can be made for the merits of Smalltalk in certain academic applications or specialized niches, there are very few reasons for companies to newly adopt the language for commercial purposes.

Java Benefits Large N-Tier Applications Now In the Future C# (C Sharp) Will Too

by Randy Heffner, August 29, 2001

For now, Java has a productivity edge for complex n-tier applications, but once C# matures, it will equal Java for n-tier and lead for GUI applications. VB's lead for GUI development will be reduced with VB.NET.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

J2EE vs. Microsoft.NET: Cross-Language Support Is Useful, but Not Critical

by Randy Heffner, July 26, 2001

Although .NET's multilanguage support is a clear advantage, it applies to only some of the mechanisms for integrating code written in different programming languages.

XML Meets COBOL The Odd Couple, or a Match Made in Heaven?

by Phil Murphy, May 31, 2001

It is inevitable that COBOL and XML will be used together to connect mainframe applications with other corporate platforms and technologies. COBOL programmers must familiarize themselves with XML in order to integrate COBOL with the newer technology.

Java Community Will Equal VB Community by 2004

by John Meyer, May 3, 2001

Based on the expected growth in the Java developer community, companies who have been waiting for Java to mature and the developer resource shortage to abate prior to adopting Java should now re-evaluate their position.

Choosing Java Coding Standards

by John Meyer, May 3, 2001

The fastest route to a standard is to adopt Sun Microsystems guidelines and supplement them with standards from the AmbySoft coding standards. A customizable source-code edito may help gain developer acceptance.