Frequent Questions | Kuler Software Tools


	Frequently Asked Questions What products does Kuler provide? Our initial product line involves software development tools for the SABLE language, a general-purpose programming language for the .NET platform and its variants. The language is designed to be highly readable and extensible. This brings great productivity benefits, both during software development and maintenance. And all this with no sacrifice in runtime performance! Wow! Where can I get SABLE? Unfortunately, the SABLE tools are not yet available for public distribution. We have a highly functional compiler (written in SABLE), and we are working diligently to create advanced tools such as an Interactive Development Environment. The main goal of SABLE is to make software engineering significantly easier, so we don't plan to release tools until they meet appropriate standards. So why are you disclosing information about SABLE now? To create quality tools requires significant investment. We have accomplished a great deal, but more remains to be done which exceeds our current resources. Kuler Software is seeking a partnership with an established company who can help complete and market tools for this excellent language. To do that, we need to advertise. Why should an investor be interested? Companies often research new, innovative ideas. Many of those ideas don't end up working, and the research investment is wasted. We have done the research: SABLE works! The concept is proven; all that remains is development. Of course, we need to demonstrate that SABLE meets its design goals, that it is an innovation which can reduce software development costs. To do that, we have to describe the language. You can read about it at sable-language.com. Why is SABLE based on Smalltalk? Smalltalk has been praised as the best expression of object-oriented concepts and was widely use for application development in the mid-90's. There are two things about Smalltalk we like: its simple, readable grammar and its easy-to-use, unlimited libraries. These benefits provide a rich development experience. In Smalltalk as in SABLE, a programmer can do a lot in little time, in other words: have a lot of fun while being wildly productive! Why shouldn't I just use Smalltalk? Some of Smalltalk's strengths have become weaknesses in the Internet marketplace. Its traditional deployment as an "image snapshot" typically creates very large executables unsuitable for small programs, like applets and servlets. Its lack of strong typing means that many simple coding mistakes aren't discovered until runtime. Also, strong typing is essential for validation and security when running untrusted code, as well as for performance. The sad fact is, despite its usability, Smalltalk use has declined significantly. We set out to identify and correct the reasons why, and to add direct support for new .NET features, while remaining true to Smalltalk's simplicity and elegance. The result is SABLE. We believe it combines the strengths of the Smalltalk language with qualities important in today's networked world. SABLE is well-suited for the tiniest applets, for large industrial applications, and for everything in between. Why shouldn't I just stay with Java, C#, or VisualBasic? Then you would miss out on SABLE's many benefits for readability, flexibility, and abstraction, qualities that can lead to better software and shorter development time. To see what those are, you'll need to learn about SABLE at sable-language.com.