John Olson

My forecasts for the future of Sybase have been through a renaissance. More than an evolution, they've been reborn. In last month's PBDJ (Vol. 7, issue 9) my editorial, as well as my TechWave review article, recounted what John Chen and Raj Nathan had to say about the past and future of Sybase. The vision itself wasn't new to me; it had been conveyed very clearly by Eric Miles in an interview I did in November 1998. I hadn't bought into the vision because I didn't see any concrete evidence that it was culminating in Sybase taking leadership positions in existing and new markets. My 'wait and see' approach had landed me in the skeptic's camp. I privately held the opinion that Chen's sole purpose as CEO was to return Sybase to short-term profitability to boost the perceived value of the company so it could be broken up and sold in pieces. That seemed to be supported ... (more)

We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto

If you're a regular reader you've probably noticed the recent evolution of this magazine from focusing specifically on PowerBuilder to covering the several tools included in EAStudio as well as the Enterprise Application Server. Though still called PowerBuilder Developer's Journal, this magazine now also has a subtitle: Enterprise Application Studio. While proud of our long history of cutting-edge PowerBuilder articles, we recognize that, as a lone software development tool, PB doesn't generate the interest it used to. Nearly 10 years after the first release of PowerBuilder, thi... (more)

TechWave 2000

Each year the Sybase conference gives me a good excuse to visit friends in Florida, catch some rays, go to amusement parks and take a break from my clients. I usually arrive on Friday or Saturday and stay until the following Sunday. That's nine days for a four-day conference; plenty of time to enjoy my former stomping grounds. However, during the four days of the conference I'm all business...sort of. You might find me at Jelly's Piano Bar or in one of the many restaurants - but even those times are meant for networking. The rest of the time I'll be taking advantage of this once-... (more)

A Heads-Up on TechWave

Once again Sybase's annual conference is quickly approaching. TechWave 2000 will be held at the location most popular among past attendees, Disney World's Swan and Dolphin hotels, from July 30 through August 3. Following the precedent set last year, this year's TechWave will cover all of Sybase's products rather than just the development tools, which was the standard until last year. The theme of this year's conference, "e-nabling your future," is reflected in a heavy Web development/e-commerce emphasis in the sessions being offered. Certainly that's where the excitement is in t... (more)

Predictions Or Statements Of The Obvious

Another year has quickly passed and once again we'll take a moment to look at how my predictions for the year fared. Last January I predicted the following five things: Over the next three years high-speed data access will dramatically change the face of the Internet. Many Java and Web development tools will stop being produced, while a few tools will rise above the fray to take control of the market. Most Sybase tools customers will actually start developing distributed and Web applications. Many Sybase tools customers will bypass PB7 and migrate directly to PB8. A flood of new ... (more)