INESC Porto presents first results of Framework SAGA’s Re-engineering

In the context of the SAGAWEB project, the Information and Communication Systems Unit (USIC) has recently presented the first results of Framework SAGA’s re-engineering.

The project’s aim is to provide SIGMA applications as easily as the WEB 2.0. model. For that, a technology development benchmarking was carried out involving Ruby-on-Rails, Silverlight, ASP.NET, .NET and ASP.NET with Gaia Ajax Framework.

The last option was the chosen one because it followed the criteria of Compatibility, Portability, Web Design and Usability, Performance, Support, Robustness and Ease of Development, Maturity and Diffusion, Componentisation and Integration, Ease of Maintenance and Extension and Licensing Costs.

SIGMA applications are also compatible with Linux native environments.

The preliminary tests showed that the migration of applications is easier and requires a lower development effort, focusing primarily on the improvement of the application interface and WEB 2.0. Functionalities.

This example shows how Software Engineering is capable of helping a Software House develop its technological base, without any disruptive consequences.

It is important to remember that Framework SAGA started being developed at INESC Porto in the 1980s, under the coordination of João Pascoal Faria. For two decades, it was possible to develop SIGMA applications for municipal management currently used in more than half of the Portuguese municipalities.

Because this Framework is robust and its features are unique, it managed to survive and follow several technological updates. This is why it is still a reference in the market.

The project’s team is set up by Anabela Soares, Hernâni Fernandes and Rui Barros. The scientific coordinator is João Pascoal Faria.