Gerhard Chroust

The role of work management in application development

Quality is probably one of the most serious concerns of todays software community. For software applications exhibiting a certain complexity, the quality of a product can only be guaranteed by a methodological approach, using appropriate administration and tools. The methodology and administration must be manifested in a well-defined and well-observed application development process. The process must integrate the human activity, the tools, and the intermediate and final work products into a coherent flow of actions. In this regard, the development of applications follows patterns that are well established in other industries where an application development (AD) process model is defined and then executed via an interpretation mechanism. The complexity of the development process makes it necessary to support and integrate all of its aspects by means of on-line interactive computer support. Computer-aided process support in the general sense we call work management. This paper explains the concepts of an application development process model and of work management for application development under AD/Cycle™ and its relation to project management.

Orthogonal extensions in microprogrammed multiprocessor systems — A chance for increased firmware usage

Abstract The performance and the price development of integrated circuits leads to multiprocessor systems despite the fact that intra-program parallelism is often not sufficient for keeping several processors busy. This paper therefore speculates on an alternative way for utilizing multiprocessor systems: systems are extended to provide additional services and functions which hitherto could not be implemented due to performance considerations. These extensions can be implemented in additional processors. We call them ‘orthogonal’ because these additional functions are considered to be disjoint from the primary function of the multiprocessor system architecture. By discussing several examples and applications an attempt is made to point at directions for further investigation and research.

Application development project support

ADPS (Application Development Project Support), developed in the IBM Vienna Software Development Laboratory, is an environment for the industrial development of application software. Crucial prerequisite for such an environment is the definition of a detailed process of how to proceed (a Process Model) and an appropriate instrumentation via computer support (a Process Mechanism) which not only helps the users to follow the established process but also provides the users with various support functions.This paper puts the Process Model (ADPS/M) and the Process Mechanism (ADPS/P) into the broader context of current software engineering concepts. It explains principles and reasons for the architecture of ADPS.

Rivalling multiprocessor organization — A novel approach to performance increases

Abstract The promise of cheap microprocessors in large quantities allows for a different ??? the trade-off between hardware and execution time. This paper shows a novel and intriguing idea: Several processors are started with the same task, using different algorithms. The one which finishes first returns the results and stops the others. The structure of such a machine and the methods for scheduling and communication of these ‘rivalling’ processors are discussed.

Duplicate instances of elements of a software process model

At the end of any software project one could, at least in theory, draw a data flow diagram of all the activities performed, together with the respective inputs and outputs. We could consider such a description as a “trace” of the software project’s history. To arrive at a Software Process Model, one has to abstract from the individual processes (“traces”) to derive a generally applicable basic framework. In this paper we will adopt the terminology of ADPS [IBM_871 where the term “activity type” is used for activity descriptions in the model and “activity” for one instance of an activity type. The term “work item” is used for both inputs and results and “work item type” for the descriptions of work items in the model.

Microprogramming — An interface property

Abstract The literature abounds with definitions of the notion of microprogramming. In this paper the author collects approximately two dozens such definitions and classifies them into four caeegories: hardware-based, vehicle for control design, macroscopic and hierarchical. The author then proceeds to propose a new definition which encompasses most of the described ones: Microprogramming is considered to be the property of an interface and not the property of hardware. The conditions under which such an interface is microprogrammed are defined. Essentially microprogramming is characterized by stored control and the absence of control sequences initiated by a single control word.

Microprocessing and microprogramming in Austria: a status report

Abstract The growing interest in microprocessors justifies a new version of this status report on Austria. Considerably more university institutes are involved in microprocessor research and application than last year. Information from industry is still scarce due to competition and security considerations. Microprogramming is still mostly of academic interest.

Microprogramming and microprocessing in Austria a status report

Abstract In 1975 a first attempt was made to collect a status report on Austria (/5/). In the meantime the field of microprogramming and microprocessing has grown considerably. Through the activities of EUROMICRO and of the Austrian Computer Society the mutual information exchange has been enhanced. A major event was the symposium on microelectronics in October 1975 (/1/) during which many microprocessor applications were presented. Thus the present report became much more comprehensive. The authors believe that the review of academic institutions is fairly complete. As far as the situation in industry is concerned only a small fraction of actual use could be recorded.

Microprogramming and microcontrol a hardware definition

Abstract This paper tries to give a simple and effective definition of ‘microprogramming’ by reducing this notion to the concept of a “microcontrolled” machine. The class of micro-controlled machines can rigorously be defined using the terminology of switching algebra. These definitions are then used to specify quantitative parameters for the classification of microcontrolled machines.

History of computers can raise student's interest

What was software development back in the 1960s and how did it evolve?