Neuron Data Systems
Index: Requirements
Problems Companies
Platforms Languages
Software Research
- Cross platform application framework.
- Competes with Galaxy.
- A few years ago, said to be a tad better than Galaxy,
which were the two best cross platform application development systems reviewed
by carm@cs.umd.edu.
- Now claims to sport the ultimate plug-in interface.
- Problems
- Based on a single-threaded environment
- Generatig Neuron C Code
- Standards Are No Object For This Software
- Information Week 26 Feb 96 p20
- Neuron Data Inc.'s version 2.0 of its Elements Environment rapid
application development platform software accommodates virtually any object
standard, including OLE, OpenDoc,
and Corba components, as well as World Wide Web,
C++ and other objects via advanced object servers. "Basically, we are
bringing out the industry's first 'open assembly environment' for bringing
in different kinds of objects to a single application," says Neuron's
product development manager. "They've got a universal widget here.
You can plug it into anything," notes a senior analyst at the Meta
Group. The initial release is available for Windows
platforms, with versions for MacOS, OS/2, HP-UX
and Solaris out by year's end.
- Nexpert Object is a rule-and-object-based development tool written
in C that runs on over 40 platforms including Motif, OpenLook, Microsoft
Windows and NT,
Macintosh, OS/2 PM, VAX/Alpha and IBM mainframes, and VT100 and DOS character
terminals. Derived from cognitive and computer science, its features include
integrated forward and backward chaining, automatic goal generation, pattern-matching,
dynamic creation of objects, classes, properties, multiple and user-defined
inheritance, and non-monotonic reasoning. NEXPERT's open, event-driven architecture
permits integration within existing systems and direct access to standard
spreadsheets, relational databases, and other conventional software.
- Smart Elements is an integrated development environment that combines
the speed and efficiency of object-oriented programming with the power of
business rule-based technology in a single comprehensive package. It includes:
- GUI Element for fast creation of user interfaces; based on OPEN
INTERFACE ELEMENTS;
- Rules and Objects Elements for quick and efficient business modeling;
based on NEXPERT OBJECT.
- Script language for easy integration of application logic
- Data Access Element (optional) for transparent access to a wide
variety of outside data sources
- Smart Elements is built on an open architecture that provides a comprehensive
set of application programming interfaces (APIs) to the GUI Element, the
Rule Element and the Object Element. This architecture allows you to augment
the functionality of SMART ELEMENTS with additional C and C++ programs and
routines. In addition, you can add the extensive capabilities of SMART ELEMENTS
to other applications. For example, you can embed the reasoning capabilities
of the NEXPERT OBJECT Rule and Object Elements into an application that
monitors and reacts to real-time events.
- Smart Elements Features
- Application Development Environment
- Identical across platforms
- Visual environment
- Rule and object browsers
- Visual editors
- Visual debugging tools
- Customizable environment
- Objects
- Class-based model
- Attributes and controls
- Message passing
- Public and private methods
- Language-independent methods
- Multiple inheritance
- Parameterized inheritance
- Dynamic objects
- Large-scale performance
- Database mapping
- Rules
- Open if-then-else rules
- Parameterized rules
- Integrated bi-directional chaining
- Pattern matching
- Opportunistic reasoning
- Revisable reasoning
- Contexts
- Tracing and playback
- Embeddable Architecture
- Open API
- Language independence
- Object management API calls
- Session control API calls
- Editing API calls
- GUI Design
- Power widgets
- Entry and output fields
- Choice boxes
- Menus
- Business graphics
- Browsers and overviews
- Hypertext
- Push, check and radio buttons
- Entry and output fields
- Multi-row and multi-column tables
- Custom
- Common Dialogs
- Alert Windows
- Help Windows
- Printer Set-up
- Color Picker
- Font Picker
- File Picker
- Script Element
- 4GL productivity with 3GL performance
- Message based
- Events and verbs
- Extensible and language independent
- Script-based hot links
- Portable Application Services
- Memory management
- String manipulation
- Asynchronous event management
- Data Source Connections
- Transparent access to cross-platform databases
- Relational (Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Ingres, ...)
- Hierarchical (DB2, ...)
- Flat file
- Data object mapping
- Common SQL access
- Supports heterogeneous database joins