Software in Far East Asia- A Personal Perspective -

Kouichi Kishida

Technical Director, SRA-KTL

Tokyo, Japank2@sra.co.jp

http://www.sra.co.jp/people/k2/

Agenda

This talk will not give a formal or systematic view.But a personal perspective based upon speaker’s experience in Japanese software industry and also various international activities.

Self Introduction I have entered into computing world in first

as a technical translator / freelance programmer in 1960 after dropping out from University of Tokyo.

My major at the university was astrophysics, but I’ve lost my interest in science.At

first, I wanted to be a painter.Here is one of my works as a young abstract

artist.

What I’m now?After working for a few computer-related companies, I’ve started a small software house called SRA in 1967.

Now I’ve half-retired from the business and directing SRA-KTL, a R&D subsidiary of the group.

And devoting most of my time for various volunteer activities in domestic and international

software community.

My Volunteer ActivitiesFellow of JUS: Japan Unix Society (1983 ~ )

Secretary General of SEA Software Engineers Association (1985 ~ )

Chairman of SMSG Software Maintenance Study Group (1990 ~ )

President of JASPIC: Japan SPI Consortium (2000 ~ )Connection with China: (1986 ~ )

Annual International Symposium/Workshop

ICSE2006 in ShanghaiChair of Far East Experience Track

My Contact Points in ChinaProf. Dehua Ju (ASTI Co., Shanhai)

IEEE Software Editorial Member

Prof. Xichang Zhong (SEC of CAS, Beijing)Beat Bill Gates with set-top box OS named Hopen

Prof. Kegang Hao (NW Univ, Xi’an)Former president of the University

Prof. Huawong Chen (NUDT, Changsha)Designed of Chinese supercomputer

Prof. Fuqing Yang (Pekin Univ, Beijing)Top lady in Chinese software community

ICSE2006 Far East Experience Papers

We’ve got 32 submissions from 12 countries (117 co-authors in total)Accepted 9 papers for regular presentation and 10 papers for poster session.The topics of these papers represent current concerns in the Far East.

Titles of 9 Accepted PapersDevelopment Technique

Reengineering Standalone C++ Legacy Systems into the J2EE Partition Distributed Environment (China)UML-Based Service Robot Software Development (Korea)Analysis of the Interaction between Practices for Introducing XP Effectively (Japan)

Quality / TestingExperiments on Quality Evaluation of Embedded Software (Japan)Procurement of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (Hong Kong)Detecting Low Usability Web Pages Using Quantitative Data of Users' Behavior (Japan)

Software ProcessExperiences of Applying SPC techniques to Software Development Processes (Japan)BSR: A Statistic-based Approach for Establishing and Refining Software Process Performance Baseline (China)Practical Approach to Development of SPI Activities in a Large Organization (Japan)

Titles of 10 Poster Papers

Efficiency Analysis of Model-based Review in Actual Software Design (Japan)Overseas Development for a Major U.S. eCommerce Website (China)A Series of Development Methodologies for a Variety of Systems (Korea)A Research Framework for Empirical Software Engineering Environment Reflected from Software Industry Structure (Japan)Estimation of Project Success Using Bayesian Classifier (Japan)Trust in Software Outsourcing Relationships: An Analysis of Vietnamese Practitioners’ Views (Australia)Improving Requirements Engineering Process for Complex System Development through RIM (Thailand)Software Practices in Five Asian Countries: An Exploratory Study (Philippine)University and Industry in Synergy: A Research Journey Towards Product Lines

(Singapore)An Experimental Comparison of Four Test Suite Reduction Techniques (China)

Some Keywords Observed

Software Process ImprovementOutsourcingEmbedded System DevelopmentFree/Open Source SoftwareGovernment

Keyword 1:Software Process Improvement

Bottom-Up Movement in JapanJSPW in late 1980sSEA-SPIN from 1996Translation of SEI TR24 & 25 (1998)Creation of JASPIC (2000)

Top-Down Style in Korea and ChinaWhy ?

Strange Matching between SPI Paradigm and Confucian Principle

Confucius said:If names are not rectified, then language will not be in

accord with truth. If language is not in accord with truth, then things cannot

be accomplished. If things cannot be accomplished, then rites and music

will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, then the punishment

will not be just. If punishment is not just, then the people will not know

how to move their hands or feet.

Table for InterpretationNamesLanguageThingsRites & MusicPunishmentPeopleHand or Feet

ConceptsProcess ModelProjectMethod/ToolsManagementProgrammersDevelopment Activities

Pitfall in Beautiful Logic

“Principle of Confucian Management” has a beautiful logical structure. But it seems to be easy to collapse.Look at the current status of bureaucracy and also political situation in those countries based upon Confucian principle (China, Japan, and Korea).

Quotation from Sorai Ogyiu (1666 - 1728)

The fundamental concept of “Tao” (Confucianism) is too abstract and difficult to understand. So, legendary sacred kings invented Rites-and-Musics as examples, which people easy to understand and practice. We should only inherit this spirit and think about to make our own version of Rites-and-Musics.

Is Watts Humphrey the Sacred King for us ?

Keyword 2:Outsourcing

Software outsourcing seems to be easy.Large number of engineers in developing countries and they are eager to get business.Gap of labor costs.Success stories of Indian software companies.

But in reality, there are several difficulties.Language and cultural barrier.Rapid change of specs.Needs for close interaction with customers.High liquidity of programmers.

Outsourcing: Case of China-JapanChinese software companies are now heavily

relying on outsourcing business.They are eager to have strong connection with

Japan.Needs for bridge engineers to paraphrase and

fix changing user requirement.Many failure stories rather than success.

Outsourcing: SRA’s caseNot for cost saving, but to develop prototypes for

advanced software engineering tools.Project tracking system to trace troubles in development.Open Web: New development environment using

open source component tools.SOA system architecture prototype.

Problem of High Liquidity of Chinese Human Resource

Observed tendency of young Chinese software engineers:

Always looking for high salary.Also want to do something technically new.Switching job at every few months.

So, it is necessary to have project-oriented management.

Keyword 3:Embedded System Development

It is one of the hot topics in Japan and Korea because governments are eager to push.

Growing demands for new real-time applications in telecommunication, vehicle control, etc.

Needs for appropriate methodology for hardware-software co-design & development.Too many troubles caused by ad-hoc technical

management.

Two Interesting Movement in JapanTEF: Testing Engineers Forum

Active discussion over the mailing listAnnual Symposium JaSST since 2003

SESSAME: : Society of Embedded Software Skill Acquisition for Managers and Engine

ersProviding training materials and semimarsAnnual Workshop since 2003

Promotion of S/W Industry in KoreaEmbedded S/W Engineering Center (KIPA)Linux Engineering Center (KIPA)Qplus & Embedded Software Toolkit (ETRI)Best Practice (MOST & Korea Embedded S/W

Industry Council)Support Program for Linux Migration & Service

Development using Linux for Public Organizations

Situation in ChinaChinese people are very much concerned about the certification of software testing engineers or organizations.Maybe because of historical tradition of “examination system” for selecting talents.So, seminar business is now growing up, and some Indian organizations are trying to enter this market.

Growing Concern aboutProduct Line Software Engineering

New approach for modularization, reuse, and domain engineering

Driving force is: Prof. KC Kang of Postech (Korea)

Conducted a number of University-Industry joint projects in Korea and also in Japan [*]

[*] SRA-KTL are cooperating in Japan.

PLSE and SRA-KTLWe have been cooperating with Prof. Kang to produce an environment for embedded software development called “ASADAL-OBJ”.It is a combination of Prof.Kang’s system called “ASADAL” and SRA-KTL’s 3D Graphics library called “Jun”.

http://selab.postech.ac.kr/ASADAL-Simple_Overview.pdf

Keyword 4Free / Open Source Software

Market is still dominated by Microsoft Windows, but there are growing concerns and also growing market for Free/OSS.In Japan, there are many active grass-root movements such as FSIJ, etc., but international contribution from Japan is still low level.Government is now somehow pushing the movement.Many companies including SRA are now trying to make business but not yet successful.

Some Industry Statistics in JapanLinux Server Shipment

2004: 68,420 servers (13.9% share)2007 (estimation): 140,000 servers (20% share)

Distribution for server market (2004)Red Hat Linux 53%Miracle Linux 22%Turbolinux 13%

Eclipse Downloads in China

SRA and Free/OSSThe first contact was a telephone call from Richard Stallman to me in 1987.The trigger was an interview article on Unix Review Magazine, which was set by Les Belady.I was just in the political trouble with government about SIGMA project and winning the battle with SONY News workstation.I had a meeting with Richard and started to support his GNU project.

SRA and Free/OSS (continued)

We were the first commercial user of Unix in Japan. So, made a bid contribution to the community by providing many useful “free” tools.Two major product we are now providing are:

Jun: Multimedia application library in Smalltalk and Java 　

http://www.srainc.com/Jun/Main_e.htmhttp://www.sra.co.jp/public/sra/technical/jun/link.html (Japanes

e)

PostgreSQL: especially multi-byte application features

http://www.postgresql.org/http://www.postgresql.jp/ (Japanese)

Free / OSSDifferent Concerns of Government

Japan: Enterprise ServerMission Critical Server

Korea: Embedded LinuxChina: Desktop Linux

Keyword 5:Government

We had a working group discussion at IWFST last year.We discussed about “What is the desirable government action?”Here are my presentation slides

My Own Closed Encounterwith Government

PPDS - 1975-80 (CASE Development)SMEF - 1981-85 (Unix Environment)Walking out from SIGMA (1986)CMM - Long debate about “What is SPI?”DynC – First Experience with MOE

Basic Tendency ofGovernment Officials

No Long-Term PolicyAd hoc style of decision makingWeak interest in technology

3 Major ConcernsBudgetChairs in satellite organizations Relation with big companys

Tentative Strategy in My Hands

Make effective use of budget Use at least 10% for real technology development

Strong push for some hidden (real) project behind the scene

Long Term Strategy

Needs for Global PerspectiveDo not to be too much sensitive about international competitionBut to focus on global needs for technologyBe careful about rapid evolution of social environment

What We Need Now

Long term funding for:- Very fundamental research in

software engineering for future- Targeting 5-10 years ahead

- Technical infrastructure for future society- Conceptual foundation of software

engineering in relation to sociology and/or linguistics

Neurath’s Boat

　 We　are　like　sailors,　who　on　the　open　sea,　must　reconstruct　their　boat ， but　are　never　able　to　start　afresh　from　the　bottom.

What Kind of Boat We Are Now on ?OK. Time flows in direction to the past on the same speed I hour per hour.Let’s looking back into the history of human thinking.

The Book of Great Learningedited by Zhu-Xi (16th century)

If you want to conquer the world,

at first you must govern your state properly.

To govern a state,

at first you must regulate your family.

To regulate your family,

at first you must cultivate yourself.

To cultivate yourself,

at first you must rectify your mind.

Strange Matching withCurrent SPI Paradigm

WorldStateFamilyOnes Self

ISO StandardCMM/CMMITeam Software ProcessPersonal Software Process

Great Learning(Continued)

To rectify your mind,

at first you must make your will sincere.

To make your will sincere,

at first you must expand your knowledge.

To expand your knowledge,

at first you must study various objects around you.

Object Orientation!

What is Software Engineering?Is it a version of Confucianism adapted to computing ?If so, Far East Countries have a conceptual advantage !?But, Western philosophy has a same kind of frame of thinking also.For example: Max Weber.

Who Is the Father of OO?Pointed out by Prof.Reenskaug (Norway)

Ideal bureaucracy of Max Weber:

(1) emphasis on form, (2) concept of hierarchy, (3) specialization of tasks, (4) specified sphere of competence, and (5) established norm of conduct for each layer .

This is also the spirit of OO!

One Step BeyondNakamoto Tominaga (1715 - 1746)

Front runner of Kaitokudo[*] scholars.[*] A private school on philosophy in Osaka,18th century

He was a son of the one of the founding members of the school.Died very young, wrote a number of philosophical notes, but most were lost, only two of them remain.Very good bibliographer, but rather controversial.His name was long time forgotten, re-evaluated as a unique thinker recently (200 years after his death).

Add-on PrincipleTo authorize their own theory, people add-on some new features to attack weak-points in fore-going theories.Nakamoto observed this principle thorough his careful study of Buddhism scriptures and Confucian classics.It is a useful tool for bibliographical study of human discourses.It is also applicable when we look into various theories/methods in software engineering.

3 Characteristicsof Human Discourses

Trends of the timeEthnic tasteStyle of representationNakamoto found these 3 characteristics in his study in history of oriental religion or philosophical discourses. It will be also useful when we look into software engineering theories or methods.

Taste of Discourse

Nakamoto’s Observation:Buddhism has a taste of magic, Confucianism has taste of rhetoric, and Japanese Shinto has a taste of simplicity

My Observation:Structured method has a flavor of abstract art, OO has a taste of poetical metaphor, and formal people prefer beauty of mathematical notation.

It is Just a matter of taste. No strong relationship to the contents of discourses.

From Thinking to Practice

Nakamoto died very young. His dying message in his last book “Okina-no-Fumi” was as follows:

- Tao (the Way) is the way of sincere practice, that's all.

This message overrides Sorai. There is no sacred king. It is important to pursue your own way of sincere practice.

Thank you!