Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!steinmetz!hamlet!hallett
From: hallett@hamlet.steinmetz (Jeff A. Hallett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: System Design tools needed!
Message-ID: <8291@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 87 13:32:53 GMT
References: <2074@cup.portal.com>
Sender: root@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP
Reply-To: desdemona!hallett@steinmetz.UUCP (Jeff A. Hallett)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 52

In article <2074@cup.portal.com> jh@cup.portal.com writes:
>Information needed!!!
>The ideal package (or combination of packages) would support
>the following features, which have been requested by our
>data processing management planning committee:
>
>      *Project management system
>      *Flexible system development methodology
>      *System Analysis Expert System
>      *System Design Expert System
>      *CASE/Prototyping capabilities
>      *System structure charts
>      *System Component Tracking
>      *Graphic data flow diagrams
>      *Warnier diagrams
>      *Data base design aids
>      *Data dictionary
>      *Forms creation
>      *Automatic documentation generator
>
>Needless to say, other items on their wish list include
>word processing, desk top publishing and free-form graphics.
>
>I am most interested in hearing from other data processing
>shops where these tools may be already in use.

Well, I'm glad to see that people are starting to ask for these things on
a Macintosh.  What you are asking for is hardly in the data processing line - 
you are asking for a full blown CASE system.

All these things are required by the classical software engineering life
cycle.  To date, I have not seen a package on ANY machine that addresses
all these issues.  However, in my opinion, the Macintosh comes as close
to having all these items available even though they are not fully integrate
(there is partial integration offered by the Clipboard, but it is not
enough).  Also, even the Mac doesn't offer ADG (auto doc gen) or data flow->
data dictionary generation since those two features require full integration.
Lastly, full integration will provide feasibility cross-checking and
consistency checkers.

The closest packages I've seen live on Suns or Symbolics.  I really hope 
someone comes out with one for the Mac II.  God knows I don't want to 
write it. :^)

Jeffrey A. Hallett               (ARPANET:  hallett@ge-crd.arpa   
Software Technology Program       UUCP:     desdemona!hallett@steinmetz.uucp)
General Electric Corporate Research and Development
"The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many"    -- Kirk  (STIII)
Jeffrey A. Hallett               (ARPANET:  hallett@ge-crd.arpa   
Software Technology Program       UUCP:     desdemona!hallett@steinmetz.uucp)
General Electric Corporate Research and Development
"The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many"    -- Kirk  (STIII)