Abstract

We describe and name a range of approaches to adding persistence to the Java programming language. Java is interesting in this regard not only because of the current excitement over it. Some relevant properties of Java include: its blend of static and dynamic features, its incorporation of object code into the environment, its offering of automatic storage management, its standardization of the object code format, its broad (but not exclusive) use of object orientation, and its use of a standard library. In considering approaches to adding persistence to Java, we offer a preliminary evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches, and describe some directions we are pursuing in our own developments. We hope our descriptions and evaluations will be useful to others in understanding the attributes of systems and designs to be discussed at the workshop, or considered thereafter.

Citations