Gemstone Project

The GemStone database is different enough from either Smalltalk or relational databases to require a different approach to projects using it.

How? Please give us a hint. --SteveFreeman

Here are some Gemstone projects. Please add yours:

LifeTech

  db size: 500MB
  server: 512MB, 133MHz Pentium x 2
  interactive users: 20

ChryslerPayroll (Essentially a batch app)

  db size: 2.5 - 4 GB
  server: Sun Enterprise 2000 4GB RAM
  interactive users: 5  

Celestica - Data Acquisition and Control System ( DACS )

  db size: ?
  server: IBM RS6000/AIX
  interactive users: Users aren't client Smalltalk, they are
plant floor devices that come into
Gems through sockets.

CanadaLife? - Producer Account, Insurance Agent Compensation Mgt

  db size: ?
  server: IBM RS6000/AIX
  interactive users: ?
  batch cycle: daily cycle to process new insurance contracts and scheduled events.

FordMotorCompany?

  Project: VEPS - Vehicle Economic Profit System (AKA VcapsProject)
  db size: 21 GB now, 1 GB after phase 2 is released 
  server: Sun Solaris
  interactive users: 20

  Project: CMIMS - Configuration of Vehicle Style Options
  db size: ?
  server: Sun Solaris
  interactive users: ?

  Project: FEMS - "Flexible Enabling Manufacturing System"
  db size: 500 MB?
  server: HP UX
  interactive users: ?

Nortel

  Product: Service Builder
  db size: 1-2 GB?
  server: HP UX
  interactive users: ( combination of "real time" and interactive )

  Product: Concorde ATM Switch Management  
  db size: 500 MB - 1 GB?
  server: HP UX
  interactive users: ?

Bell Sygma: Correlation Engine

  db size: 500 MB - 1 GB?
  server: HP UX
  interactive users: Not interactive. Used for correlating events emanating from telco network.

LucidaModelingEnvironment

  db size: 50M - 1.5G (so far)
  server: Intel NT 4.0
  interactive users: interactive and real-time

CrossKeys? Systems Corporation

  Product: OpenKnowledge Element Management Framework
  db size: 100 to 500MB
  server: Solaris 
  interactive users: 10

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We are using GemStone on the ChryslerComprehensiveCompensation project. I would be interested in talking to other folks who are using it for traditional InformationServices? applications. -- KentBeck

We are using GemStone in the GenomeTopographer project. It's not really "traditional" but it is interesting. --KyleBrown

We're exploring GemStone for use in a distributed data collection and review system. -- DaveSmith (7/27/96)

LifeTech uses GemStone for both computation and data storage. --KentBeck

We are using GemStone/J for an interactive workflow application, and possibly several others. -- RussellGold

We are using GemStone in three projects in Argentina. Two of them are used by an official organism devoted to the control of insurance companies; the third is a business information system used by a company in the alimentary market. We would like to share experiences with other GemStone/S developers. Also, we think that a GemStone mailing list would be useful and interesting to developers and system administrators. -- LeandroCaniglia (22/02/1998)

We're using GemStone to build an intelligence gathering system for Customs & Excise Canada (spy stuff). We've got a somewhat limited (read: bad) deployment environment -- what amounts to a 2400 baud WAN, which has driven us to some interesting non-traditional implementation strategies. We're also storing source code in Envy using a home-grown interface (which I'm happy to share). Despite all of these hits, it's great fun: Learning about being a spy is more fun than learning about banking or insurance claims. <grin> --AnthonyLander (23/02/1998)

We were (up to March '98) using Gemstone/S as part of a system for generating insurance products. We had invented a language for this and Gemstone was used to store, version and browse (for re-use) the parse-trees that were generated by fragments of the language. Our experience of Gemstone was pretty much that it was a great idea and definitely the way to go forward from the relational world in theory but probably still too immature in practice!

We also had to develop a framework to manage the server code in Envy (really this was an extension to the Gemstone Envy Toolkit) - what's the point of having Smalltalk on the server if you can't use the same tools and practices that encouraged you to choose it for the client? We did find that once we had all this under control, moving code execution to the server to improve performance became a (nearly) non-technical administrative process. Theory vindicated or try doing this with stored procedures! -- TedWrinch (27/11/98)

Mutual Travel uses GemStone/S as our enterprise-wide object repository. This repository serves to several internal intranet information systems. In addition, it holds the information clients enter on our public website. We find it to work very well with VisualWorks/VisualWave server-based applications. The first release of our software was almost 2 years ago. We have been expanding the application suite regularly. --JosephBacanskas (12/08/1998)

We use Gemstone/J (GemStoneJava) as the mid-tier (EJB -- EnterpriseJavaBeans) and application database (cache) for a large supply chain management and sales forecasting system. -- FrankSauer (10/20/1999)

Ford uses GemStone/S on the VcapsProject.

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CategoryProject