Bricks and Dots with Chris Horn
Talking with Grady
Window on the World
Issue 3
Talking With Grady Booch
By Mike Wing
Q:Do you have an ongoing role in UML?
I have no direct role. I am working on mappings from UML to XML, EJB, and RDB. The XML mapping will help in accessing the web. The EJB mapping will also access the webspace. I am working with Jack Greenfield on this. I am interested in applying design tools to database applications and have a personal interest in the RDBMS mapping. UML now has a life of its own, independent of me and Rational.
Q:What are your current activities?
I am working on design patterns for architecture. I have been contracted to write a third edition of the Object-Oriented Design book and a book on software architecture. The architecture book will take the perspective of an archaeologist, who studies existing systems to uncover the real architectural patterns.
Q:Do you have any other activities?
Catapulse and my books keep me busy.
Q:What is your role at Catapulse?
At Catapulse, I set the vision for the company and I do architecture. I am fortunate that I don’t have to do operations, or coding, or sales. Catapulse is a stealth company. Catapulse does make products, but the web page doesn’t say much.
Q:Is Catapulse using the Transmeta model?
(Nods head and laughs.)
Q:Your first paper was published in SigAda. Would you tell me a little more about that?
The first paper was rejected for publication by referees who said that the material was already being done. I wanted to get the paper out anyway, so I sent it to SigAda. I was working with a group of people who were trying to bring people using modern software engineering to use Ada. This led to my writing the Software Engineering Using Ada book. I discovered that writing forced me to aggregate my knowledge, to separate ideas that really matter from those that don’t.
Q: In your talk you quoted Alan Kay, that inventing the future is the best way of predicting the future. Isn’t research all about making the future? Isn’t ICSE all about making the future?
The future is invented by those who build real things. My survey was interesting in that some pushed the science, while others discovered best practices. Some were creating new perspectives, while others were finding out directly what worked for them and what didn’t. The world is created by a combination of those two.
Designer
and Webmistress
Caroline Kehoe