Consequently, software is penetrating an increasing number of business areas and product types as organizations turn to computer applications to perform a variety of tasks, from complex analysis and multiple media modeling activities to mundane data processing and information management chores. However, many software applications have become unwieldy, complicating companies efforts to configure, adopt, and maintain traditional procedural stand-alone programs. Clearly, the future of application development lies in CBSE products and practices. Components are reusable pieces of software code that serve as building blocks within an application framework. With a coherent and enterprisewide architecture model, components can drastically reduce the complexity of a company s information system.
Components represent a new scenario and potentially a new beginning for software engineering.
Although to some experts, the terminology and concepts of CASE will be redundant with the component-based application development of the future, the principles of software engineering will become increasingly important. Although this revolution in software development has been on the computer industry s horizon for a number of years, the final building blocks for component-based development are now in place. An increasing number of IT directors and managers are turning to component-based development as the next step in corporate computing. Traditional, linear application development strategies are not flexible enough to cope with the leap to component construction. Thus, users and suppliers that fail to change application development strategies, refuse to alter software project management techniques, and resist the adoption of component-based technology will suffer in the wake of more nimble or farsighted rivals.