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Cincom Smalltalk Digest: January Edition

Posted on by Author Jeremy Jordan in Categories Cincom, Cincom Smalltalk, Cincom Smalltalk Digest Newsletter Archive

Cincom Smalltalk Digest

Happy new year! Welcome to the January 2024 edition of the Cincom Smalltalk Digest. In this month’s newsletter, you will find the following:

CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS
  • Unlocking the Power of the CST Customer and Partner Portal: A Comprehensive Overview
  • Making It Quick and Easy: Submitting a Cincom Smalltalk Support Case
BEGINNERS and DEVELOPERS
  • What Happened to Smalltalk: A Look at Cincom’s Advancements in Commercial Smalltalk
    • Synergizing the Past and Present: Cincom Smalltalk and Database Connectivity
      1. From Punch Cards to Clouds: The Evolution of Databases
      2. From PARC to the Queen City: The Evolution of Database Connectivity in Smalltalk
      3. Added to the Mix: Why Smalltalk Fits in with Cincom’s Other Successful Products
    • Hidden Gems Tutorials: Database and Storing Code and Data
    • Cincom Smalltalk’s Seamless Integration with Major Relational Databases

CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS

Unlocking the Power of the CST Customer and Partner Portal: A Comprehensive Overview

If you are a Cincom Smalltalk customer or partner, this area is just for you.  In the customer and partner portal, you can find the following:

Making It Quick and Easy: Submitting a Cincom Smalltalk Support Case

Looking to quickly submit a new case to Cincom Smalltalk Support? It’s this easy:

Additionally, these links can be helpful with the submission process and finding out more information:

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to the Cincom Smalltalk Product Team at CSSTARTeam@cincom.com.

BEGINNERS and DEVELOPERS

What Happened to Smalltalk: A Look at Cincom’s Advancements in Commercial Smalltalk

From the software pioneers of Xerox PARC to the capable engineers of Cincom Systems Inc., Smalltalk has revolutionized the field of modern programming. This influential object-oriented programming language has left a mark on the global tech industry, shaping the way developers write and structure their code.

With its emphasis on simplicity and readability, Smalltalk offers a unique approach to software development. It allows programmers to break down complex problems into manageable components, fostering collaboration and code reuse. This, in turn, increases efficiency and productivity, making Smalltalk a favorite among developers worldwide.

Smalltalk’s impact goes beyond the realm of programming. Its philosophy of “everything is an object” has influenced other programming languages through the years, shaping their syntax and principles. Smalltalk has also paved the way for modern development tools and frameworks, empowering developers to create robust and scalable applications.

Let’s take a look at what happened to Smalltalk:

Synergizing the Past and Present: Cincom Smalltalk and Database Connectivity

This month, we look at the advancements Cincom has achieved with its seamless integration of major relational databases in Cincom Smalltalk. A quick stroll down memory lane allows us to see how tightly woven the history of databases, Cincom and Smalltalk are.

  1. From Punch Cards to Clouds: The Evolution of Databases
    The history of databases is a testament to human ingenuity and the pursuit of efficient data management. From punch cards in the 1800s to cloud-based systems today, databases have evolved significantly. As technology advances, such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and distributed systems, databases will continue to evolve and shape the digital landscape.Notable milestones represent key advancements in database technology that have shaped the way we manage and interact with data throughout the history of databases. Some of these milestones include:

    •  1950s
      • The first-generation databases were hierarchical in nature, organizing data in a tree-like structure.
    •  1960s
      • The network model was introduced as a more flexible alternative to the hierarchical model. This model allowed for the creation of complex relationships between data entities and paved the way for the development of more sophisticated database management systems.
    •  1970s
      • The introduction of the concept of a relational database by Edgar F. Codd, proposing a structured approach to data organization and providing a simpler and more intuitive way to store data.
      • Structured Query Language (SQL), a language for managing relational databases.
      • The first commercial relational database, IBM’s System R.
      • The release of Oracle Database, one of the most popular relational database management systems.
    •  1990s
      • The development of MySQL, an open-source relational database management system.
    • Current State (2000s)
      • The emergence of NoSQL databases like MongoDB and the emergence of Apache Hadoop, an open-source framework for distributed processing and storage of big data.
  2. From PARC to the Queen City: The Evolution of Database Connectivity in Smalltalk
    Smalltalk, a programming language, has evolved significantly over time, introducing native support for database operations and object-relational mapping (ORM) frameworks. These tools have revolutionized the way Smalltalk applications interact with databases, simplifying the development process and improving performance. Today, Smalltalk continues to evolve its database usage, offering more flexibility and options for developers in areas such as concurrency, replication, and support for NoSQL databases.Let’s take a look at the fascinating journey into Smalltalk’s database usage and its evolution:
     

    • 1980s
      • Xerox PARC introduced Smalltalk-80.
      • Digitalk emerged with Smalltalk/V.
    • 1990s
      • Introduction of Enfin Smalltalk, offering improved database and mainframe connectivity.
      • IBM’s entry into the Smalltalk market with VisualAge.
      • Digitalk released Visual Smalltalk and Visual Smalltalk Enterprise.
      • Cincom acquired ObjectStudio, VisualWorks, and Visual Smalltalk Enterprise, making Cincom the leading provider of commercial Smalltalk.
    • Current State (2000s)
      • Cincom’s strong backing of Smalltalk.
      • Cincom continues to develop Smalltalk environments with advanced database connectivity to all major relational databases including Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server®, PostgreSQL, MySQL, DB/2, and SQLite, as well as OODBMS systems.
  1. Added to the Mix: Why Smalltalk Fits in with Cincom’s Other Successful Products
    Founded in 1968, Cincom is one of the first, if not the first, global software companies in the world. Cincom’s President, Thomas M. Nies, is the longest actively serving CEO in the computer industry. This consistent leadership throughout the years means a stable management structure and direction for our company and security for our customers and partners.From its roots in database management systems and consulting, the Cincinnati-based company has expanded to offer a full line of multi-platform business applications. Tom Nies and the other founders were hardware salesmen at IBM but saw an emerging market rising for software to run on that equipment. Seizing this opportunity, the men left IBM and formed a company that would go on to have a global impact.A look at Cincom’s history shows a long and distinguished list of notable events, including:
    • 1960s
      • Becoming the first US software firm to promote the concept of a database management system.
    •  1970s
      • Becoming the first full-service firm to offer both manufacturing and financial applications, as well as database and online system software products.
    •  1980s
      • Being the first to introduce an interpretive application development system for the IBM mainframe environment.
    • 1990s
      • Being the first single vendor to be selected by the US government as a standard for government agencies.
      • Becoming the largest commercial provider of Smalltalk with the strategic acquisitions of ObjectStudio and VisualWorks.
    • Current State (2000s)
      • Continuing to develop commercial Smalltalk products that connect with all major relational databases including Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, DB/2 and SQLite, as well as OODBMS systems.

Hidden Gems Tutorials: Database and Storing Code and Data

In these tutorials, we explore multiple techniques tailored for scenarios where employing a full-scale database may be excessive or impractical, providing elegant solutions for managing data without the burden of a traditional database system.

Throughout the series, viewers will gain invaluable insights into efficient and effective methods for retrieving objects. Whether you’re a seasoned Smalltalk developer or new to the language, these tutorials will equip you with the expertise to harness the full potential of object storage in Cincom Smalltalk, unveiling hidden gems that optimize performance and streamline data management.

Hidden Gems: Object Persistence

Object persistence is about saving and restoring the state of an object. This can be done in a variety of ways, often with a relational or object database. But what alternatives are there and how do they work? That is what this video will discuss, build, and demonstrate. This tutorial will demonstrate a simple, powerful, and useful text-based technique that is not widely known and includes:

  1. Creating a text-based representation of a large object
  2. Saving the text-based format to a file
  3. Re-creating the object from the file contents
  4. Advantages/disadvantages discussion

Watch this screencast here: https://youtu.be/RVRqSjnqN9Y?si=twUm4RFrrB3YCzAN

Watch this screencast here: https://youtu.be/u6ssb27Bwdo

Cincom Smalltalk’s Seamless Integration with Major Relational Databases

One of the many features of the Cincom Smalltalk Foundation is database connectivity. As mentioned in a previous article (link), Cincom Smalltalk supports connectivity to all major relational databases including Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, DB/2 and SQLite. VisualWorks also connects easily with OODBMS systems.

  • To learn more about features of the Cincom Smalltalk Foundation, click here.
  • To learn more about Cincom ObjectStudio, click here.
  • To learn more about Cincom VisualWorks, click here.

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