App dev

We're always on the lookout for tools that make building, testing, and maintaining Web apps and services easier for developers, and we found no shortage of those in 2004. Among the key trends we've been tracking in reviews are all the wonderful things being done with source code analysis -- from identifying security vulnerabilities during the development process to automating unit tests -- and the efforts on the part of tools vendors such as DreamFactory, Macromedia, and Nexaweb to build front ends to Web applications that are as friendly and functional as traditional rich clients. Whether you do it with Flash or Java or XML and Web services, we don't much care; just get us beyond the Web browser.

Another class of solutions we're eyeing closely: BRMS (business rules management systems). A BRMS gives business analysts and developers a shared language for expressing application logic, helping to make business applications more flexible and easier to change when market conditions dictate. So far, only Fair Isaac and ILOG have showed us true enterprise solutions for Java applications. We're looking forward to seeing more in this space, including these vendors' new .Net offerings, in the coming months.

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DEVELOPER TOOLS

Acucorp Extend 6.1
Acucorp
Good. 6.0
Cost: AcuCobol-GT development, $1,575; run-time, $945 for first user, $105 for each additional user; AcuBench, $1,575; Transoft Component Adapter Technology, starts at $1,600 for five users
Bottom Line: Although good for distributing Cobol applications across a variety of platforms, Extend would benefit from stronger integration of its IDE with component connection architecture.

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Agitar Agitator 1.5
Agitar Software
Excellent. 8.7
Cost: 50-person deployment, $150,000; 100-person deployment, $225,000; prices are estimates because deployments are often customized
Bottom Line: Agitator is a pricey development adjunct, but its capabilities are extensive and worth the investment. If your organization is doing serious Java work, Agitator makes the building of unit tests almost enjoyable. And that's saying a lot.

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Empirix e-Test suite 7.0
Empirix
Very Good. 8.0
Cost: As tested (50 virtual users), $20,000
Bottom Line: This easy-to-use, preproduction testing tool leverages its visual script modeling capability to good effect. Lack of support for popular midtier architectures, coupled with limited script customization features, restricts its usefulness to Web-based applications and their derivatives.
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