Solid Software Services

Consulting

Our consultancy services are focused at assisting our clients successfully implement their data, software, object or agent ssystems, to meet their goals, in a quality driven yet timely manner.

• Domain Analysis, Data Analysis and OOAD
• Analysis, Design and Development of Intelligent Software Agents.
• XML DTD - Analysis, Design and Development.
• Programming in Java & C++; and the Java Web Server
• Speed Introduction to Java Programming

Our Consultants

Solid Software has high calibre consultants who each have considerable knowledge, experience and integrity in areas ranging from information technology, programming and training, to marketing, project management, research and multi-lingual skills. They are profiled under our People page: click here.

Analysis and Design of Database and Object-oriented Systems.

SQL, Relational database systems, Object-oriented systems, Data Analysis and Normalisation techniques, are all based on well founded Information Theory. A good analyst can use techniques based on this theory, to find fundamentally sound structures and objects for brand new projects, or when revising old ones. These structures and objects, once discovered via Analysis, are in an optimum state both for initial development and for future change and flexibility. There is nothing so futile and costly as undoing recent, past, badly designed systems, to cater for new requirements.

New Requirements do come along all the time - they are a function of user feedback and innovative thinking. i.e. They are a function of success, so you should begin your new project with a thorough Analysis and Design of the informations structures and information movements inherent in your proposals, designing them for growth and change from the very beginning.

A past example of an analysis and design for a pilot Virtual University we did, which involved both SQL hosted database and OOAD Java authoring tools, led to a major development of an online educational delivery and authoring system. It then attracted a major DIST Grant (potentially $2M) to help fund the development. It is called Melbourne IT Creator and is the subject of a conference paper click here.

We also did the analysis, design and the SQL creation procedures for the backend database for the National Trust of Victoria online site. (Oct'99).

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Intelligent Software Agents.

We do analysis, design and development of Personal Agents, Interface Agents and Whole Agent consoles.

Software Agents are a recent breakthrough in the way people design, build and use software, largely inspired (even necessitated) by the interconnectedness of computers on the Internet. Software Agents mean different things or hold different emphasises to different people:

• Internet people may come across them first as mobile agents - bits of software that can act as semi-autonomous servants, moving out about the web with a particular agenda.
• To Software Engineers, they are 'Objects with attitude' (BDI agents - Beliefs, Desires and Intentions) - autonomous software entities that hold and update their own world-view of the environment they continuously operate within, as they go about achieving their goals, either reactively or deliberatively as necessary.
• To Computer Human Interface people, they are most often seen as Interface Agents, Believable Agents, Personal Assistant agents or even psychological agents.
• To us, they encompass all of the above and more: we see a role for them as persuasive software - software that you use in your daily life and work, that not only helps you achieve the things you want to, but also has inbuilt capability to improve your own performance, self-knowledge and attitudes, as you do so.

For an Agent-oriented analysis and design example online, click here.

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XML Design, Analysis and Development.

XML in a nutshell:

The widely embraced XML (eXtensible Markup Language) - enables software developers and content publishers alike, to structure data in an ASCII file format. XML is being embraced as 'smart data' that will transform the Internet from a globally distributed information system to a globally distributed knowledge system. There is a strong parallel between an SQL database schema and an XML DTD (Data Type Definition) file. An XML DTD can be thought of and used as, an ASCII rendered database schema. Similarly, the actual data records in an XML file conforming to a specific XML DTD, are essentially ASCII database records, i.e. a lightweight database system with no vendor DBMS such as ORACLE or MS SQL Server, necessary – hence, one of the attractions of XML to current web publishers.

Another major attraction to XML, is that you can forge your own standard for data (including data interchange) in your vertical or horizontal market. However, it is a standard unlike earlier ones: you don't need a standards body to define and approve it; and if you use a sensible and wise XML DTD, other people and other programs can read, write and use your standard even if they haven't previously encountered it. ie. One of the things XML delivers is a loosening of the shackles of a Standard (usually the process that goes with it), while retaining many of the benefits of one. Sound too good to be true? There is a catch, you need a professional and insightfull XML DTD to achieve that mix of flexible, yet open configuration of your pivotal information. We do analysis and design of industry specific or application specific XML DTDs.

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Programming in Java and C++.

The following screen-shot is from the Concept Learning System animation (animation of program procedual process to students of programming) application, developed in Java 2, using the Swing interface library.

Fig. 2: CLS - Concept Learning System - by Steve Goschnick, in Java 2 and Swing.

It uses most components in the Swing library, including the JTable and JTree - which are nicely integrated in this application.

For information on our past significant development work in Java, C++ and C, click here. We also have Java Web Server V2 experience (including Java Servlets).

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Java Training

We do a two-day Jump-start to Java course, using the Swing interface package as our focus - on either MS Windows or Mac OS X systems. The course is a jump-start into Java, suited to programmers who have existing skills in an object oriented language - preferrably C++, Delphi or Visual BASIC post-V3. This course was developed after developing lectures, notes and examples, that took 3rd Computer Science students at the University of Melbourne, into Java, in a short amount of time. It was a very successful approach. They had pre-existing knowledge of C++. The students numbered 80 in the first year it was introduced (1998), and quickly swelled to 210 in 1999 via the grapevine.

The Jump-start to Java course was run twice during 2002.

We'll also consider doing this course at a clients venue, if they have enough participants and the facilities (As a guideline 10 or more at ~ $490 per participant). The course instructor is Steve Goschnick who has extensive experience in Java, C++ and other technology training.

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News Service

Taiwan News: We host a news service about Taiwan. It includes timely overviews and condensations of articles reported in both the Taiwan news outlets, and articles in Australia that have extra interest to people in Taiwan. This service is offered to help foster a cultural and trade conduit between Australia and Taiwan. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

For Taiwan News click here.

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Contact/Feedback:

Solid Software Pty Ltd

ABN: 60 084 786 498
Postal Address: P.O. Box 218, Belgrave, Victoria 3160, Australia
Phone: +61 040 7544 260
Email: gosh@solidsoftware.com.au

This page last updated: 15th January 2003.

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