Preamble
In the early eighties I decided to step out of mainframes (I was a senior systems analyst) and into the world of microcomputers. My research convinced me that the new micro-computers would come to dominate the computer scene. I went out and bought a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model II with some savings and hung out a shingle to create business systems.
I soon realized that the difference in economies of scale from mainframes to micros was significant. It was very difficult to charge a small business guy $20k for software to run on a computer that cost $2k. Very tough sell in 1980! It just wasn't economically feasible to develop software in the same way it was done for mainframes. So I looked around for productivity tools that would enable me to quickly create useful software for a variety of businesses. But none of the software offerings available were mature enough to use for serious business software development.
Introduction to HMBD
HMBD is a theory that proposes a methodology for preparing computer solutions to most common business and personal information system problems without formal program coding.
The cycle of information processing is Input, Process, Output. Input is the basic function of entering and editing information. Applying a set of calculations and rules rules to that data is Processing. Output is formatting that data for the desired presentation and/or representation.
The current resources for developing software available to a systems integrator consists of choosing between three distinct methods of implementing a solution. One is to find a pre-programmed or canned application that lends itself to at least a partial solution. Two, attempt to integrate existing word processing, spreadsheets, data management packages, and programming code into a coherent solution. Thirdly, analyze and program the solution from scratch using a computer programming language. Collectively we could call these solutions SDM or Systems Development Methodology.
HMBD is new technology that describes a fourth method of preparing computer solutions. Most business users want as little interaction with the computer as possible to do useful work. Any systems developed for the common marketplace must provide graphical menuing and voice recognition to control the system for fast interaction.
The HMBD run-time is not application specific, that is, applications are custom developed by describing data sets, data relationships, input/editing/storage specifications, sort/order and/or selection criteria, processing calculations, user menus, help files, and the reports pertinent to a specific application.
Theory of Hyper-Modern Business Design
Note: the first four postulates of the HMBD hypothesis were written in 1982. When the first proof of the hypothesis, PAM, was released and a license sold in 1983, the hypothesis was proved and became a theory. The last two postulates were written in early 2010 after a new HMBD project was begun.
Postulate Five: Run-time objects shall be "alive." That means that every tangible object in a program is able to be made responsive to the user. Objects should be able to be manipulated after design and during execution of a program.
Postulate Six: Run-time objects that execute commands shall be "over-loaded." That means that those individual objects are able to have two or more separate command sequences designed for response in a single process.
HMBD Final Note
TCB is a game changer, it eliminates the middle-man.The first HMBD project was called PAM, Phoenix Access Method, named for the proprietary database scheme used. PAM had two separate systems, a development system and a run-time system. The development system consisted of several programs: a screen generator, columnar report generator, transaction generator, sort/order extraction generator, menu generator and a programmer test module. The run-time system consisted of a menu runner, query runner, report runner, extraction program, and a transaction processor. PAM employed a proprietary database and its own scripting language.
The latest HMBD project is called TCB, Take Care of Business. The power of the TCB run-times is so great none of the development programs described above are necessary! There is only a single run-time program that comes in a couple of flavors. The old SDM method consists of an analysis of the proposed computer solution, design of the solution (screens, databases, functions), and, finally, programming the solution.
Analysis is critical to creating any good computer solution. That analysis can be done by someone with expert knowledge of the business the system is designed for, or a professional systems analyst. With TCB design consists of specifying the program window, the objects that will appear in the window, and the methods and functions to be used in the program.
Once design is completed, implementation is simply the act of running the program with the TCB run-time. That's it! Analyze, design, run.
Major programs that had been written to aid in program and systems development have been replaced by TCB programs. These include a database manager, columnar reporter, a program generator, document browser, WYSIWYG web editor and more. The power and value of utility of TCB has evolved far beyond any expectation of success I had going in.
A great deal of effort was expended to achieve portability. The result is that the TCB implementation of HMBD requires no installation and runs quite well on Linux and Apple platforms with the appropriate software installed. This effort has also given rise to our TCB Avatar concept.
A TCB Avatar is a USB/thumb drive, portable hard-drive or other bootable device containing an operating system and the TCB system. The Avatar will also include and a selection of 50 to 300+ Windows applications in a completely menu-driven environment (PortableApps).
The software includes Office Suite(s), graphics editors, web browsers, security software, sound and video editors and players. All of this is free and most of the software automatically updates when the system is on-line.
Why TCB or an Avatar? TCB gives virtually anyone the ability to create their own solutions and carry all their data and the software necessary to use the data with them. More, the Avatar is capable of booting from most PCs including old PCs even with no hard drive.
Products based on HMBD design have no real competition. In the real world, business always try to use the most cost effective solutions to any problem. HMBD's answer to SDM wins hands down because both the time and expense usually associated with SDM is cut by at least a factor of 10 or more.
If the time required to develop a particular solution is 6 months (960hrs*70/hr), the HMBD solution should be available in 2 to 4 weeks! Most of the cost of SDM is in coding for about $72,000. Equally, we can expect the HMBD cost for the same project would be about $1,400.
Further and perhaps more importantly, the cost of support for SDM systems is, typically, about $200/mo whereas TCB can offer free life-time support. Why? Because an end user WILL customize whatever package they get. Once that occurs, as with any other product, TCB responsibility ends and the custom package becomes the end user's responsibility. Further, the only time the run-time code is changed is when the system is updated. No changes can occur to the TCB program.
first published: 4/6/1982 updated: 3/1/2016, 07/27/16
Copyright © 1982-2016, Phoenix Information Systems/TM all rights reserved
Contact: Fred Pierce, makpiya@aol.com, makpiya@gmail.com, 831.240.9969