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Analytical Software Packages

The ASP Story

Analytical Software Packages (ASP) was founded in 1985 by Robert Heath. Since then, ASP has created a Content Management System (CMS) which is used to create hundreds of thousands of web pages for the travel industry, has worked on projects focused on improving performance of software and hardware for desktop and server computers, has developed application software for Geotechnical Engineers, and worked on various other projects.

ASP developed a proprietary CMS in the Java programming language that is used to create websites for over 125 domains, which collectively have over 300,000 web pages. The CMS creates web pages from an XML data source using Java and XML technologies that creates static html files. Web pages created by the CMS use proprietary Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. Example websites created by this CMS include, Visit New York City, Visit San Francisco, Visit Los Angeles, Visit San Diego, and Visit Washington, DC.

ASP and Robert Heath have worked with IBM on several projects, including some pertaining to performance analysis for both hardware and software. Among those projects include developing and validating a software simulation model modeling the 486/Pentium processors. Another project involved writing Windows NT device drivers and application that monitors and analyzes data acquire from the Pentium performance registers and counters within the Pentium processor.

ASP created a suite of application software used by Geotechnical Software Engineers to automate the process of creating graphical reports for various tests performed by these engineers. The applications were written in the programming language C and makes use of curve fitting algorithms and printer device drivers in producing typeset quality reports in a fraction of the time needed by traditional report generation techniques.

ASP has employed many software development technologies including C/C++, Java, various assembly languages, XML/XSL/XSLT/XSD, HTML/XHTML, CSS, Flash, Joomla! in developing software. Our primary development applications are for internet applications, device drivers, and real time embedded systems.

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Published: 28 November 2015

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Java Software Development

Java is an ideal programming language for developing cross platform applications for a network environment. Java was developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and Java 1.0 was released in 1995. Gosling adopted a syntax similar to C/C++. Since then, a substantial network of developers has developed around the world.

Support exists for many platforms and classes of computing devices with a unified Graphical User Interface (GUI). Support exists for network applications, desktop applications, mobile devices, wireless devices, and world wide web applications. Desktop support exists for the various versions of Windows, Apple, and Unix operating systems. Java makes use of an open architecture, making use of features and applications developed by independent corporate and individual developers around the world. A large portion of Java's source code has been released under free software/open source distribution terms.

The Java syntax is very similar to the syntax of C/C++, which has a huge network of developers around the world, which enables migration from the C/C++ development platform to the Java development platform easier. Instead of compiling to a native machine language, like most high level languages, the Java compiler compiles to a bytecode, which is translated by a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to the platform specific processor's machine language. JVMs have been developed for most of the most popular computing platforms in existence which requires a program to be compiles a version specifically for each platform. This Java strategy allows the compiled version of the source code to be ported to other platforms unlike compile versions of C/C++ and most high level languages. However, there is a performance penalty in having the intermediate JVM layer. As processor's become faster and faster such performance penalties may be difficult to detect when encountering delays caused by input and output (I/O) especially when that I/O is on the order of hundreds of milliseconds, which is typical in a network or internet environment.

Today, the enormous network of developers around the world are constantly enhancing the Java development platform with new features which automate common development platforms and requirements, thus accelerating the development of new and more useful Java applications which operate in a platform independent environment.

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C/C++ Software Development

Dennis Ritchie developed the C programming language while working for Bell Labs in 1972. C was developed for use as the primary compiler for use with the Unix operating system which was also developed by Bell Labs. In 1978, Ritchie and Brian Kernighan published the landmark book, The C Programming Language, commonly called K&R.

C was developed using the same semantics and syntax of predecessor programming languages such as B, Algol, Fortran, and PL/1, and was used as a foundation for successor programming languages like C++, Java, PHP, and Perl. Semantics and syntax of C encourages a "structured" programming style. The simplicity of C allows the compilation of code to machine language with excellent performance characteristics, approaching the performance of machine language produced by assembly language programs.

In 1979, Bjarne Stroustrup began work on the C++ compiler, which initially was named, "C with Classes." In 1983,the language was renamed to C++ using the C iterator operator, ++. The first edition of The C++ Programming Language was released in 1985. To the C programming language, C++ added the new features abstract, public, and private classes, multiple inheritance, operator overloading,virtual functions, templates, exception handling, and other features. Semantics and syntax encouraged an Object Oriented Design methodology. Since then C++ has become a widely used programming language.

Device drivers, embedded systems, real time applications and other software requiring high performance can be written in C or C++.

C/C++ does not include garbage collection which is available in other programming languages like Java. Porting of code from one platform to another requires a program to be recompiled and may also require resolution of idiosyncrasies specific to a given platform. However, programs will run natively, with machine instructions specific to a given platform, thus eliminating the need for an intermediate layer of software like the Java Virtual Machine, which is necessary for Java programs.

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Fortran Software Development

Fortran was first introduced by IBM in April, 1957. Fortran was invented by a team of IBM employees led by John Backus. Fortran was developed specifically for the development of mathematical, scientific, and engineering applications, and to rid the developers of the minutia and complexity of learning assembly languages and writing assembly language software. Thus the developer's need, to concern themselves of the idiosyncrasies of a specific processor when developing software, was reduced.

Fortran was a significant, ground breaking compiler. It was the first successful, commercially available high level language, and the basis for most high level languages that followed. The development team was lead by John Backus and included Sheldon Best, Harlan Herrick, Peter Sheridan, Roy Nutt, Robert Nelson, Irving Ziller, Richard Goldberg, Lois Haibt and David Sayre.

As Fortran gained in popularity, other computer manufacturers began to support the Fortran language with their own version of a Fortran compiler. By 1963, over forty compilers had been released for various computing platforms. As deviations arose between the various compilers, the first standardization effort was completed in the early 1970s. The net result was that Fortran programs could be written and easily ported to other computer architectures.

Over the years Fortran standards have evolved to take advantage of new evolving programming techniques employed by other programming languages. Numerous releases of Fortran have occurred over the years, including Fortran I, Fortran II, Fortran IV, Fortran 66, Fortran 77, Fortran 90, and Fortran 95. Well over 50 years after it's first release Fortran is still in use and remains a very efficient compiler in developing high performance software.