7.3. Technology Adoption

Thanks to the design team's early experience with object-oriented development in C++ and Smalltalk and with object-oriented databases from Gemstone and ObjectStore, they were ready to embrace Java as the development platform for the new application. In addition, the founders were versed in client-server technologies, with backgrounds in Visual Basic, C and other third generation languages, and the Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle transactional databases.

When eTapestry was formed, the principals agreed to take advantage of Web architecture to produce an application that was more accessible, scalable, suitable for B2B integration, and standards-based. They also decided to use the object-oriented techniques that they refined from their previous experience. “The idea of modular code that can be encapsulated, managed, and reused carried a lot of weight with us,” explains Scott Ganyo. He notes that this approach allowed them to focus on developing relatively simple modules of standard code, which could be assembled and reused when forming the final application. “This philosophy is very much in line with Sun's Java technology,” says Ganyo.