Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c++:2030 comp.lang.smalltalk:765
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!cadre!pitt!jonathan
From: jonathan@pitt.UUCP (Jonathan S. Eunice)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: Parcplace Systems' Cynergy C++?
Summary: It's a CASE tool.  Sigh.
Keywords: Smalltalk-80 ParcPlace Cynergy C++ C CASE
Message-ID: <4271@pitt.UUCP>
Date: 19 Nov 88 05:14:52 GMT
References: <5155@thorin.cs.unc.edu> <8414@alice.UUCP> <25837@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <3528@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Reply-To: jonathan@vax.cs.pittsburgh.edu.UUCP (Jonathan S. Eunice)
Organization: University of Pittsburgh Computer Science
Lines: 32

Mike Khaw (mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.UUCP) asks, "What's the scoop on
ParcPlace's Cynergy C++ program development environment?" I asked
ParcPlace essentially the same question.  The answer went something
like this:  It's a program development environment adding some of the
nice Smalltalk-80 development tools (browsing, cross-referencing,
dynamic linking, incremental compilation) to conventional languages
like C and C++.

I'm not certain what Carlos Carrion (carlos@beowulf.JPL.NASA.GOV) meant
when he answered that "Cynergy ... is basically the Smalltalk-80
environment pushed onto C++."  But read on...

Cynergy IS NOT, as I and perhaps others have thought, an environment
whereby software is developed in Smalltalk-80, then ported for delivery
in C or C++.  For that, look to ET++ or Stepstone's Objective-C and
Producer combination.  Cynergy IS, if you will pardon the expression, a
CASE tool.  It manages and supports the development process, not
unlike the current combination of UNIX tools. 

That Cynergy is not a prototype-in-Smalltalk-then-deploy-in-C++ tool
brings up another question.  Namely, why not?  Such a thing would seem
more valuable, leveraging the benefits of both languages.  Why does
ParcPlace choose to compete with what will eventually be tens of other
companies in an area where its incremental value will likely be
limited?  Why sell to a market that will not easily be swayed from
current tools and approaches? Yeah, it leaves me wondering, too.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Jonathan S. Eunice                  ARPA: jonathan@vax.cs.pittsburgh.edu
   University of Pittsburgh               UUCP: jonathan@pitt
       Computer Science                 BITNET: jonathan@pittvms
        (412) 624-1368