OBJECTS ON THE SERVER - ARE WE READY

Object-oriented concepts such as reuse and encapsulation offer many be nefits to application development, particularly in managing complexity and change. All the benefits of OO that apply to the client can apply equally well to the server. However, until recently, these concepts h ave proven to benefit only the client side. Could there be any intrins ic or conceptual reason for this? Or could it be a result of timing, t he availability of the tools, and the conservative restraints that res ult from the mission-critical nature of server computing? This panel w ill explore the roles of objects on the server by examining the experi ences of the panelists from a technology consumer's perspective, By do ing so, we would like to provide insights for corporations that are ma king decisions on OO technology, point out pitfalls along the way, and identify potential opportunities for technology providers. All paneli sts have developed production level object servers. The panel will ans wer the question of whether we an ready for object servers by discussi ng the following issues: Different server types: transactional server, data server, application server, web server, etc. Are they really tha t much different? Which one is the most important kind? Experience in implementing and maintaining object systems on the server: the configu rations of the systems and how they were arrived at: the tools and pro gramming languages used. Benefits and drawbacks of server object syste ms. What's hard? What's easy? What are the prerequisites for pervasive deployments of objects on the server? (e.g., standards, application t ypes, customer situations, tools, and languages.) What would be desira ble for technology providers (researchers and vendors) to provide? (To ols, languages, execution environments that represents vendor opportun ities.) Practical advice to organizations interested in introducing ob jects to the server.