[PLUG] [plug-announce] December 6th, 2006: "A Gentle Introduction to MUMPS"

["Michael C. Toren" <mct@toren.net>]

  ._____. .__________________________________________________________________.
  | ._. | | .______________________________________________________________. |
  | |_| |_|_|___.                                                   _____  | |
  |___| |_____. |   The Philadelphia Area Linux Users Group        | ._. | | |
  .___|_|_| |_| |   (PLUG) cordially invites you to our next   .___| |_|_|_| |
  | ._____| |___|    meeting, Wednesday, December 6th, 2006    | ._| |_______|
  | | | |_| |         at The University of the Sciences in     | |_|_|_| |___.
  | | |_____|              Philadelphia, Pennsylvania          |_______| |_. |
  | |______________________________________________________________| | | |_| |
  |__________________________________________________________________| |_____|


    The topic of this month's meeting is "A Gentle Introduction to MUMPS",
    presented by K.S. Bhaskar; more information about MUMPS and the talk
    can be found at the bottom of this message. The meeting will take
    place from 7-9pm at:

            University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP)
            Griffith Hall C
            600 South 43rd Street
            Philadelphia, PA 19104-4495

    USP is located in University City.  Driving directions are
    available at <http://www.phillylinux.org/locations/usp.html>, or
    <http://www.usip.edu/directions/>, both of which have an aerial
    view of the campus buildings.  USP is also easily accessible by
    public transportation.

    There will be an open Question & Answer session at 7PM, prior to
    the main presentation at 8PM.  This is an open meeting; all are
    welcome, and encouraged to attend.

    Usually, a number of members get together after the meeting at a
    nearby restaurant for food and perhaps a beer or two.  Come join
    the camaraderie!


    ===================================================================


    Abstract:
    ---------

    If you live in the United States, part or all of your health record
    is in stored an M application.  Of approximately the same vintage
    as SQL (both were born circa 1970), M (popularly known as MUMPS -
    see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUMPS) is a workhorse language and
    database widely used in healthcare.  The back-end applications of
    virtually all major healthcare ISVs are based on M, as is VistA, the
    comprehensive health information system developed by the US Department
    of Veterans Affairs, and which is in the public domain through the
    Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
    
    What is less well known is that M is also used in banking and finance,
    and the largest core processing system in production at any bank
    anywhere in the world (see
    http://sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2005-11/sunflash.20051116.2.html) is
    live on GT.M  (http://www.sanchez-gtm.com), an M implementation from
    Malvern, PA, whose implementation on x86 GNU/Linux is GPL'd
    (http://sourceforge.net/projects/sanchez-gtm).  (Its core processing
    system is the single most mission critical applications for a bank.)
    
    K.S. Bhaskar, a geek who became a manager when he stopped being able
    to do useful work, manages the GT.M business for Fidelity National
    Information Services (FIS).  He will present a gentle introduction to
    M and GT.M, including:

	- The language and database

	- Its unusual and unique features (such as the use of
	  optimistic concurrency control to  provide Atomic,
	  Consistent, Isolated and Durable transactions

	- A daemonless database engine

	- The ability to create applications that can be continuously
	  available not only in the face of unplanned events like
	  system crashes but also planned events like application
	  software upgrades, including upgrades that involve changes
	  to the database schema)

	- Some interesting details of its implementation

    Time permitting, we will take a peek several different approaches to
    web enabling MUMPS / GT.M applications.  Live CDs of VistA on GT.M on
    x86 GNU/Linux will be available.


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