Subject: C430 JGSI review Resent-Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 23:19:53 -0400 Resent-From: Geoffrey Fox Resent-To: p_gcf@npac.syr.edu Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 17:12:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Tim Brecht To: gcf@npac.syr.edu Paper: C430 Title: A Java/CORBA based Visual Program Composition Environment for PSEs Overall Recommendation: Weak-Reject This paper describes a Visual Programming Composition Environment (VPSE). While the paper does a good job of describing the system design and is well written, in my view it does not sufficiently describe the goals of the work being described in the paper or the research contributions. Especially with respect to the topic of the special issue "Java Grande". For this venue I think an experience paper showing how this system was used to solve Java Grande types of problems would be more appropriate. As currently written too much of the paper concentrates on the system architecture and as a result the paper seems more suited to a journal on software engineering or system architecture. According to Section 5 (Conclusion) "... The difference in our approach is the pervasive use of XML throughout the system, ..." This does not seem like a significant research contribution - unless a clear and precise explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach are given. The section on Previous Work does describe previous work and the differences from the work in the paper, however, I think the paper could be significantly improved by taking this section a step further and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of these differences. E.g, when comparing with Gateway the use of XML is touted as a difference. What are the implications of this difference? The authors of the paper should share the insights gained in working on this project with the reader. The prototype VPCE, an "elementary mathematical equation editor" doesn't really apply to the problem of trying to use Java and several or large machines to solve grand challenge types of problems. A more in-depth comparison with JavaBeans would be useful. How is this system significantly different from JavaBeans? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach versus JavaBeans? It seems that a statement in abstract and later in the paper are contradictory - but after reading it a few times I think I understand. Maybe the abstract could be reworded to make it more clear. >From the abstract: "... compiling running applications in a *specific problem area of domain*". >From the first line in the Introduction (and elsewhere in the paper): "A CORBA-based *domain-independent problem solving environment ..."