Research Frontiers in Object Technology

Object technology has been widely acclaimed as offering a revolution in computing that will resolve a myriad of problems inherent in developing and managing organizational information processing capabilities. Although its foundations arose in computer programming languages, object technology has implications for a wide range of business computing activities including: Programming, Analysis and Design, Information Management, and Information Sharing. We examine six fundamental research frontiers in each activity: Common Business Classes; Organizational Barriers; Applications and Tools; Reuse and Object Management; Standards, Testing, and Metrics; and Technology Investment. The cross product of the business computing activities with these fundamental research frontiers yields a taxonomy within which to position the research needed to realize the promises offered by object technology.