Software Mumbles and Grumbles

As this is probably my last posting before 2008, I wanted take a second and wish everyone a Happy New Year…

2007 turned out to be a very exciting year in the world of Domain-Specific Modeling and Model-Driven Development as a whole. Largely due to the massive increase in interest in this area. As the word continues to spread of the radical productivity improvements organizations are experiencing with MetaEdit+, more and more companies are looking to see how this could benefit them. It’s taken a while, but people are starting to move past the disappointing results achieved with UML and willing to embrace a superior approach to model-based code generation–namely, DSM.

Aside from our customer successes, MetaCase’s selection to the SD Times list of the top 100 leaders and innovators in the software development industry was extremely gratifying, as was our invitation to join the EU’s groundbreaking MoSiS project focusing on the role of MDD in the embedded industry… Really good stuff all around

Looking ahead at 2008, I fully expect this increase in interest to continue. Awesome success stories continue to be shown from companies like Matsushita (Panasonic), Nokia, VTT, EADS, etc., and 2008 is sure to deliver more.

 Talk to you next year!

MetaCase announced Tuesday that it will be sponsoring  Code Generation 2008. The event will be held in Cambridge, UK on 25-27 June. Code Generation focuses on Domain-Specific Modeling and Languages, Model-Driven Development, and MDA. For anyone seriously interested in DSM and automatic code generation from models, this truly is a “must-go” event. Last year brought together the leading companies and experts focussed on this field, I’m confident that 2008 will do the same. Nearly everyone I spoke to at the end CG 2007 confirmed that they were sure to be there in 2008. 

Bran Selic and Steve Cook have been announced as the keynote speakers. The Call for Speakers is still open, but will be closing in a couple weeks.

Juha-Pekka Tolvanen and Steven Kelly’s new book entitled “Domain-Specific Modeling” is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The book, to be released in Jan 2008, promises to be the definitive DSM guide, and a must have for all Model-Driven Engineering enthusiasts. I’ve had a chance to take a first look at it, and it really contains a  lot of practical advise and ideas for creating a great DSM language… I think it’s going to be a big help for anyone interested in increasing their software development productivity with model-based DSLs.

 http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470036664.html

 Amazon link

A recent report by Niveditha Srinivasan of the business research and consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan highlighted the dramatic increase in automotive software complexity and spending in recent years. The report stated that the European market revenues for passenger car software was €15.63 billion in 2006, with a projected increase to €28.84 billion annually by 2010.

There are a number of factors contributing to this rise: safety regulations, environmental regulations, and increased competition for exclusive features, along with many others. Irrespective of the reason, software suppliers to the automotive industry are being asked to produce increasing complex software in shorter times, with higher quality standards, with a higher degree of integration, and at reduced costs while remaining innovative. That certainly is a tall order, but Domain-Specific Modeling, with it’s ability to radically improve productivity and software reliability, is just what this industry needs to overcome this challenge.

Auto infotainment systems are a clear manifestation of this increasing software complexity. Customer experiences in this area have demonstrated that DSM can effectively improve productivity and quality here thereby enabling manufacturers and software suppliers to meet their objectives. See here an example of an auto infotainment system modeled with MetaEdit+ DSM tools.