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A Retreat from Object-Orientation?
Java was designed as an object-oriented programming language, meaning that code is compartmentalized into classes of programming objects. So a Java program bounces around from object to object, in contrast with a procedural program built around a more linear series of instructions. There are many theoretical advantages to object-orientation (OO), particularly for building complex systems which would tend to devolve into chaos without a system for organizing variables and functions to prevent unintended conflicts.
However, learning object-oriented programming presents its own challenges, and some developers never quite make the leap.
"There's a real question of how much object-oriented code is actually procedural code with an object wrapper around it," says David Norfolk, an analyst with Bloor Research. So EGL may make more sense than Java for many organizations because "the procedural way of doing things may just be how people think about business processes," he says.
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"I would argue that procedural is better for writing business rules than OO anyway," argees Joe Pluta, the founder and chief architect of Pluta Brothers Design Inc. A specialist in working with the IBM iSeries midrange computers used by many small to midsize businesses, Pluta has been promoting EGL as an alternative to the RPG language widely used on that platform.
While Pluta also has expertise developing Java applications for IBM's WebSphere platform, he says EGL is a simpler alternative for enterprises that don't have the resources to master all the intricacies of Java and Web development. He argues "it's impossible for a CIO to be able to determine which is the correct strategy" for deciding between new Web technologies and frameworks "if all the people in his organization are interested in adopting the next shiny new tool."
Adopting EGL is one way of delegating responsibility for those decisions to IBM, letting the vendor decide which base technologies to embrace and make available within the EGL environment. The trade-off, of course, is that you have to be willing to accept IBM's judgment. "If you hate Java Server Faces, you're in a world of hurt. As IBM makes decisions on which of the technologies they're going to embrace closest, they kind of drag you down that path."
Next: Summary—Where EGL Makes Sense
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