Move to Component Based Architectures: Introducing Microsoft\u27s .NET Platform into the College Classroom

A transformation has been occurring in the architectural model for computer-based application intense software systems. This new model, software-as-a-service, will have a profound impact on the design and development of software for many years to come and as such college level computing curriculums will need to incorporate the concepts and methodologies associated with this new architecture. The platform is built upon a view of interrelated, distributed peer-level software modules and components that work in tandem to achieve specified functional goals. From Microsoft\u27s viewpoint, migration to the new platform requires a radical shift in the software development lifecycle. It is becoming imperative that higher education computing programs take a proactive stance in reviewing their curriculums and making plans to align them with this new paradigm. This paper explores Microsoft\u27s .NET strategy and provides a synopsis of the efforts taken by one Computer Science and Information Systems Department to incorporate .NET into the curriculum and the classroom

Management implications of moving from a traditional structured systems development methodology to object-orientation

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2003As software application systems become larger and more complex, many software employers and managers believe that the key to sustaining its competitive advantage in the computing technology market lies in its software engineering capabilities. Software crisis situation seems to be a common occurrence in the software development environment as systems become larger and more complex. Object Orientation (OO) has been proposed as a viable alternative to traditional approach (i.e., structured techniques), an approach that many hope will solve the current software crisis. 00 is a new paradigm, and it requires new types of knowledge, new specialists, and significant changes in the mindset, an entirely different way of thinking, representing and solving a problem. The transition of moving toward the 00 from the traditional approach may involve a high risk of failure if the managers do not understand the nature of paradigm shifts and do not anticipate the future. The problem of moving to 00 has become very important. An understanding of potential problems from migrating to the new paradigm helps managers make a smoother paradigm shift. The implications and challenges of the 00 paradigm are presented. The study suggests that Object-Oriented System Development (OOSD) requires more discipline, management and training than traditional software development does. Education and experience are keys for the success of any OOSD project

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think

Selling Technology: The Changing Shape of Sales in an Information Economy

[Excerpt] This book describes and explains the changing nature of sales through the daily experiences of salespeople, engineers, managers, and purchasing agents who construct markets for emergent technologies through their daily engagement in sales interactions… [It] provides a grounded empirical account of sales work in an area that has been the subject of insufficient study, namely contemporary industrial markets where firms trade with other firms

Networked knowledge: challenges for teacher education [Editorial]

Since 1990, the World Wide Web has caused an inversion in the information economy of education. Where a traditional view of education characterized teachers as dispensers of knowledge, the second half of the twentieth century witnessed a shift towards an alternative paradigm in which knowledge is viewed as constructed by the learner from personal and shared experience. In an information-rich environment, education is likely to be less about accumulating information and more about transforming it in ways that make it more useful. Although the evolution of a networked knowledge economy may eventually require responses in many aspects of education, at least three areas are already evident. These are questions of knowledge as property attaching to concepts such as copyright and plagiarism, development of processes and skills for effective collaboration, and the problem of assessment of student learning if it is accepted that knowledge may exist in the network rather than the individual

Complex systems science: expert consultation report

Executive SummaryA new programme of research in Complex Systems Science must be initiated by FETThe science of complex systems (CS) is essential to establish rigorous scientific principles on which to develop the future ICT systems that are critical to the well-being, safety and prosperity of Europe and its citizens. As the “ICT incubator and pathfinder for new ideas and themes for long-term research in the area of information and communication technologies” FET must initiate a significant new programme of research in complex systems science to underpin research and development in ICT. Complex Systems Science is a “blue sky” research laboratory for R&D in ICT and their applications. In July 2009, ASSYST was given a set of probing questions concerning FET funding for ICT-related complex systems research. This document is based on the CS community’s response.Complex systems research has made considerable progress and is delivering new scienceSince FET began supporting CS research, considerable progress has been made. Building on previous understanding of concepts such as emergence from interactions, far-from-equilibrium systems, border of chaos and self-organised criticality, recent CS research is now delivering rigorous theory through methods of statistical physics, network theory, and computer simulation. CS research increasingly demands high-throughput data streams and new ICT-based methods of observing and reconstructing, i.e. modelling, the dynamics from those data in areas as diverse as embryogenesis, neuroscience, transport, epidemics, linguistics, meteorology, and robotics. CS research is also beginning to address the problem of engineering robust systems of systems of systems that can adapt to changing environments, including the perplexing problem that ICT systems are too often fragile and non-adaptive.Recommendation: A Programme of Research in Complex Systems Science to Support ICTFundamental theory in Complex Systems Science is needed, but this can only be achieved through real-world applications involving large, heterogeneous, and messy data sets, including people and organisations. A long-term vision is needed. Realistic targets can be set. Fundamental research can be ensured by requiring that teams include mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists and computational social scientists.One research priority is to develop a formalism for multilevel systems of systems of systems, applicable to all areas including biology, economics, security, transportation, robotics, health, agriculture, ecology, and climate change. Another related research priority is a scientific perspective on the integration of the new science with policy and its implementation, including ethical problems related to privacy and equality.A further priority is the need for education in complex systems science. Conventional education continues to be domain-dominated, producing scientists who are for the most part still lacking fundamental knowledge in core areas of mathematics, computation, statistical physics, and social systems. Therefore:1. We recommend that FET fund a new programme of work in complex systems science as essential research for progress in the development of new kinds of ICT systems.2. We have identified the dynamics of multilevel systems as the area in complex systems science requiring a major paradigm shift, beyond which significant scientific progress cannot be made.3. We propose a call requiring: fundamental research in complex systems science; new mathematical and computational formalisms to be developed; involving a large ‘guinea pig’ organisation; research into policy and its meta-level information dynamics; and that all research staff have interdisciplinary knowledge through an education programme.Tangible outcomes, potential users of the new science, its impact and measures of successUsers include (i) the private and public sectors using ICT to manage complex systems and (ii) researchers in ICT, CSS, and all complex domains. The tangible output of a call will be new knowledge on the nature of complex systems in general, new knowledge of the particular complex system(s) studied, and new knowledge of the fundamental role played by ICT in the research and implementation to create real systems addressing real-world problems. The impact of the call will be seen through new high added-value opportunities in the public and private sectors, new high added-value ICT technologies, and new high added-value science to support innovation in ICT research and development. The measure of success will be through the delivery of these high added-value outcomes, and new science to better understand failures