CA Gen: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:37, 12 October 2006

Latest revision as of 12:40, 30 April 2025

(103 intermediate revisions by 76 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|Application development environment marketed by CA Technologies}}

{{cleanup-date|December 2005}}

{{Hatnote|This page is about the application development environment (formerly known as Information Engineering Facility). For the engineering discipline see [[Information Engineering]].}}

'''Gen''' is a [[Computer Aided Software Engineering]] (CASE) application development environment marketed by [[Broadcom Inc.]] Gen was previously known as '''CA Gen,''' '''IEF''' ('''Information Engineering Facility'''), '''Composer by IEF''', '''Composer''', '''COOL:Gen''', '''Advantage:Gen''' and '''AllFusion Gen'''.

The toolset originally supported the [[information technology engineering]] methodology developed by [[Clive Finkelstein]], [[James Martin (author)|James Martin]] and others in the early 1980s. Early versions supported IBM's [[DB2]] database, [[3270]] 'block mode' screens and generated [[COBOL]] code.

In the intervening years the toolset has been expanded to support additional development techniques such as [[component-based development]]; creation of [[client/server]] and [[web application]]s and generation of [[C (programming language)|C]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]] and [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]. In addition, other platforms are now supported such as many variants of Unix-like Operating Systems (AIX, [[HP-UX]], Solaris, Linux) as well as Windows.

The '''IEF''' (Information Engineering Facility) was the first name of a full lifecycle [[CASE|Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE)]] tool, which has now gone through three different owners (Texas Instruments, Sterling Software and Computer Associates) and several different names (IEF, Composer, Cool:Gen, Advantage:Gen, AllFusion:Gen).

Its range of supported database technologies have widened to include [[Oracle Database|ORACLE]], [[Microsoft SQL Server]], [[ODBC]], [[JDBC]] as well as the original DB2.

It was initially produced by [[Texas Instruments]], with input from [[James Martin (author)]] and his consultancy firm James Martin Associates, and was based on the [[Information Engineering|Information Engineering Methodology (IEM)]]. The first version was launched in 1987.

The toolset is fully integrated - objects identified during analysis carry forward into design without redefinition. All information is stored in a repository (central encyclopedia). The encyclopedia allows for large team development - controlling access so that multiple developers may not change the same object simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://communities.ca.com/community/ca-gen-edge|title=CA Gen EDGE|accessdate=16 January 2018}}</ref>

IEF rose rapidly in popularity, particularly among large government departments and public utilities.

==Overview==

The product initially supported a CICS/COBOL/DB2 target environment. However throughout its evolution, it went on to support a variety of databases and operating systems. At the height of its popularity, IEF was capable of generating complete multi-tier cross-platform applications shielding the developer from the traditional complexities of such designs.

It was initially produced by [[Texas Instruments]], with input from [[James Martin (author)|James Martin]] and his consultancy firm James Martin Associates, and was based on the [[Information Engineering|Information Engineering Methodology (IEM)]]. The first version was launched in 19871985.

IEF (Information Engineering Facility) became popular among large government departments and public utilities. It initially supported a [[CICS]]/COBOL/DB2 target environment. However, it now supports a wider range of relational databases and operating systems. IEF was intended to shield the developer from the complexities of building complete multi-tier [[Cross-platform software|cross-platform]] applications.

In 1995, [[Texas Instruments]] decided to change their marketing focus for the product. Part of this change included a new name - "Composer".

In 1995, [[Texas Instruments]] decided to change their marketing focus for the product. Part of this change included a new name - "Composer".

By late 1996, Composer had built a reputation as a capable and reliable tool for development of large enterprise transaction processing systems. However, some IT professionals found it's model-based approach too restrictive. Similarly, many potential clients lacked enthusiasm for the product due to its high per-workstation license cost.

HoweverBy experienced1996, ComposerIEF developershad onbecome successful projects were able to see the product in thea correctpopular lighttool. ItsHowever, limitationsit werewas incriticized factby itssome trueIT strengths.professionals Offor coursebeing ITtoo developmentrestrictive, teamsas wastewell faras toofor muchhaving timea andhigh moneyper-workstation dealingcost with($15K over-complex technologiesUSD). ComposerBut onit theis otherclaimed handthat didIEF exactlyreduces whatdevelopment businesses required -time and notcosts aby greatremoving dealcomplexity more.and Ie. it allowed the veryallowing rapid development of stablelarge andscale reliableenterprise transaction processing systems.

In 1997, Composer had another change of branding, [[Texas Instruments]] sold the [[Texas Instruments Software]] division, including the Composer rights, to [[Sterling Software]]. ThisSterling camesoftware aschanged athe greatwell shockknown toname Composer"Information clientsEngineering aroundFacility" theto world"COOL:Gen". -COOL perhapswas morean shockingacronym wasfor the"Common subsequentObject nameOriented changeLanguage" by- Sterlingdespite Software.the Thefact wellthat establishedthere namewas "Informationlittle Engineering[[Object-oriented Facility"programming|object wasorientation]] toin bethe known as "COOL:Gen"product.

In 2000, Sterling Software was acquired by [[Computer Associates]] (now CA). CA has rebranded the product three times to date and the product is still used widely today. Under CA, recent releases of the tool added support for the CA-[[DATACOM/DB|Datacom]] DBMS, the Linux operating system, C# code generation and [[ASP.NET]] web clients. The current version is known as CA Gen - version 8 being released in May 2010, with support for customised web services, and more of the toolset being based around the [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse framework]].

COOL was an acronym for "Common Object Oriented Language" - although there was still very little Object Orientation in the product.

As of 2020, CA Gen is owned and marketed by [[Broadcom Inc.]], which rebranded the product to Gen to avoid confusion with the former owner of the product.

Nevertheless, the product continued to survive - though not quite thrive. A number of upgrade releases were produced, including several significant improvements which allowed the generation of web pages and proxies.

There are a variety of "add-on" tools available for Gen, including GuardIEn - a [[Configuration Management]] and Developer Productivity Suite,<ref>[http://www.iet.uk IET Ltd]</ref> QAT Wizard,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qat.com/ca-gen/ca-gen-products/qat-wizard/|title=QAT Wizard|accessdate=16 January 2018}}</ref> an interview style wizard that takes advantage of the meta model in Gen, products for multi-platform application reporting and XML/SOAP enabling of Gen applications.,<ref>[http://www.canamsoftware.com/ Canam Software Labs]</ref> and developer productivity tools such as Access Gen, APMConnect, QA Console and Upgrade Console from Response Systems <ref>[http://www.response-systems.com Response Systems]</ref>

In 2000, [[Sterling Software]] was acquired by [[Computer Associates]] (CA).

Version 8.6 of CA Gen came to market in June 2016.

With the change of ownership came yet another new name. Of course the new name had to be better than "COOL:Gen" - but not much better. After playing with the name "Jasmine" for a short while, CA came up with "Advantage:Gen". It could have been worse perhaps, but after several years named "COOL:Gen" it hardly seemed to matter.

Version 8.6.3 of CA Gen was released in 2021. Following this release, Broadcom have switched to a [[continuous delivery]] model with new features to be delivered as patches.<ref>[https://orases.com/blog/replatforming-applications-complete-guide/ Replatforming Applications]</ref>

Advantage:Gen is still used widely today, although more Advantage:Gen systems are now in maintenance than in development. Those which remain in development tend to focus on the tool's powerful back-end capabilities, leaving user-interface design for more modern tools.

==References==

Nevertheless, IEF/Composer/COOL:Gen/Advantage:Gen has left a mark on most who've used it. Many devotees think about the product with affection and most recognise it for what it was - truly ahead of its time.

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

It's currently (2006) called AllFusion® Gen. This latest release of the tool adds a new DBMS (DATACOM) to its list of supported DBMS', and generation for Linux as new operating system.

* [https://www.ca.com/us/products/ca-gen.html CA Gen official site]

[[Category:Computer-aided software engineering tools]]

There are a variety of "add-on" tools available for AllFusion Gen, including the highly respected Configuration Management and Developer Productivity Suite by [http://www.iet.co.uk IET Ltd] in the UK.

[[Category:Data management]]

[[Category:CA Technologies]]

[[Category:Fourth-generation programming languages]]