Microsoft Joins the OMG (Object Management Group)

Brian Harry

Last week we announced that Microsoft has joined the OMG. Over the past year or so, you’ve probably seen Microsoft talking more and more about modeling as a key technology for business processes and application development.  At Tech Ed this summer, we did a demo in the keynote and BillG talked about how important a role modeling will play.  We’ve talked about a new project code named “Oslo” to build a modeling platform and tools.  We’ve talked about new modeling features coming in Team System in Rosario (including 6 UML designers) to enable modeling as a first class component of application development on the Microsoft platform.  In the coming months and years, you are likely to hear much more about the modeling efforts we have under way. As one step on this path, we have joined the OMG so that we can participate in the standardization process and help push forward the state of the art around application modeling. Does this mean we have abandoned our commitment to DSLs (Domain Specific Languages)?  Not at all.  I think several years ago, you would have listed to us talk about UML, DSLs and the like and concluded that DSLs were an exclusive alternative.  We see UML and other modeling technologies as complementary to DSLs.  DSLs provide the connection from the models to the underlying artifacts (code, for instance).  They enable the models to rendered as code and code to be viewed as models.  This is an unbelievably important connection that allows models to be more than pretty documentation but rather to become a living, breathing part of an application. The next major event where we talk a great deal about our modeling efforts with be at the PDC next month.  I hope to see you there!

Brian

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