Introduction To The Perspectives Series
Perspectives is the name of a new method to design software. It radically departs from UML. It is built on just five concepts that are tightly interrelated. Once you learn to use them, you acquire a subtly different notion of ‘information’. The role of the user of the software takes center stage. Many previously loosely related things fall into place. After a while, you cannot help but wonder how you’ve done your IT work without these concepts, all these years!
Perspectives also is a declarative language that one writes models in. It is concise, precise, with a sound footing in semantics that could be cast in Category Theoretical terms. There is a language definition in terms of syntax and (informal) semantics. There are introductory texts. A reference implementation is underway and so is a graphical tool to design models.
This series of columns is inspired by Perspectives, but the subjects vary greatly. They are written as more or less personal reflections on many topics. Each can be read on its own. Together they weave a fabric that provides background on our thinking. We hope you enjoy some of them.
Joop Ringelberg, Cor Baars
See also the starting page of the development project, our website on the design tool, a website with a lot of background material, and the InPlace website.