CBSD Support Tools

IN any particular case of software development, introducing ‘components’ and CBSD has an importance that falls on a spectrum from ‘trivial’ to ‘central.’ As with any software technology, it is always possible to “write FORTRAN” while ostensibly using a new technology. Components can be used as if they were nothing more than FORTRAN library subroutines. At the other extreme, a development project may attempt to make essential use of a component model, relying on middleware to implement essential parts of the system, so that the project could not be carried out in any other way. This section explores the role that supporting tools play in shaping development.