Gemstone for Dummies

by Martin McClure

While GemStone/S can be thought of as "just another Smalltalk," there are a number of features that are rooted in its multi-user capabilities that affect its use even in a single-user environment. This presentation is an introduction to GemStone/S from the viewpoint of the Smalltalk programmer, focusing on the differences from other Smalltalk implementations. We'll look at the sharing of a very large object space across multiple VMs and machines, and how this interacts with transactions and persistence. We'll look at class versioning and object migration features that let you change the structure of a class even if it has millions of long-lived instances. We'll also discuss security issues: Broad access control through logins, privileges, and namespaces, and fine-grained control of access to individual objects. We'll survey the major patterns for using this kind of system. We won't cover the underlying technology in any detail, as this will be the focus of the "Share Everything" talk later in the conference.

Bio: Martin has been joyfully using Smalltalk for more than twenty years. As a Software Architect with GemStone Systems, he leads a team that designs and implements a distributed object system that acts as a bridge between a Smalltalk client and a GemStone Smalltalk server. Other career highlights include developing embedded and robotic systems in FORTH and assembly language, data modeling and architecting a telecommunications order processing system, designing and prototyping embedded hardware, and touring with a high-tech juggling troupe. When he's not in front of a computer, he can often be found contra dancing or blowing glass.