Intentional Software

Intentional Software was a software company founded to commercialize intentional programming, a development approach associated with computer scientist Charles Simonyi. The central idea was to let programmers capture the concepts and requirements expressed by users, designers, and domain experts while minimizing the amount of manual translation into conventional programming languages and machine-oriented representations. Rather than treating source code as the sole or primary representation of a program, the approach represented software as a structured form that could be projected into different views, including programming-language-like text, diagrams, and other domain-specific notations. The intellectual origins of the company lay in work conducted by Simonyi and colleagues at Microsoft Research during the 1990s. By 1995, Simonyi had produced an integrated development environment demonstrating the approach, and he presented the concept publicly through a technical report and later talks. Microsoft moved the project from its research organization into a development group in 1999 and released an educational video about the system in 2000. Microsoft ultimately chose not to turn the paradigm into a mainstream product during its push around C# and .NET. Simonyi received permission to commercialize the idea independently, and Microsoft cross-licensed relevant patents, although the new company had to rewrite the software rather than take Microsoft’s implementation. Intentional Software was established in 2002 by Simonyi and Gregor Kiczales. Kiczales departed in 2003, while Eric Anderson later served as chief executive. The company rebuilt its technology from scratch and undertook another substantial rewrite in 2006. Its principal offering became the Domain Workbench, a language workbench for creating domain-specific languages and tailored development environments. The system allowed a customer’s domain concepts and rules to be represented directly, with different projections for different users and implementation targets. It was primarily integrated with the .NET ecosystem and also supported deployment involving Java. The company also developed the Intentional Platform, which was positioned as a platform for improving the productivity of software teams. Its broader technology included integrated specification of test cases, version-control capabilities, and runtime deployment options intended to help teams move from domain modeling and implementation toward standalone software products. A distinctive technical feature was the representation of programs as trees or database-like structures rather than ordinary text files. This structure enabled the same underlying program information to be displayed in multiple forms and potentially rewritten as implementation knowledge evolved. Intentional Software remained a specialist technology company rather than a mass-market software brand. It served as a vehicle for advancing language-focused development, domain-specific programming, and tools intended to narrow the gap between business concepts and executable software. By 2017, it had almost 100 employees. Microsoft acquired the company on April 18, 2017, and many employees joined Microsoft’s Office organization. Following the acquisition, Intentional Software ceased operating as an independent company and its brand became associated primarily with the technology and personnel absorbed into Microsoft.

Intentional Software emerged from research into intentional programming led by Charles Simonyi at Microsoft Research during the 1990s. Simonyi’s objective was to change the relationship between software developers and programming languages. Instead of requiring developers to express every concept in the syntax and abstractions imposed by a compiler, the system would capture the intent of users and designers in a richer structured representation. That representation could then be rendered through different notations and translated into implementation technologies as appropriate. By March 1995, Simonyi had created an integrated development environment that demonstrated the approach. He described the concept in a September 1995 technical report titled “The Death Of Computer Languages, The Birth of Intentional Programming,” and presented it publicly in 1996. The project continued inside Microsoft and was transferred from Microsoft Research to a development group in 1999. Microsoft released an educational video about the Intentional Programming system in 2000. Around 2001, Microsoft chose to concentrate on the rollout of C# and .NET and did not productize the intentional programming paradigm as a Microsoft commercial product. Simonyi obtained approval to take the idea outside Microsoft and develop it independently. Microsoft cross-licensed Simonyi’s patents to the new company, but the company did not receive the original implementation code. Intentional Software was co-founded by Simonyi and Gregor Kiczales in 2002. Kiczales left in 2003, and the company subsequently rebuilt its technology from the ground up. A further major rewrite took place in 2006. The company’s main technical product was the Domain Workbench, a language workbench used to create domain-specific languages and custom development environments. It treated programs as structured trees or database-like information rather than merely as text. Users could view or project the same underlying program through multiple representations, such as a C#-like language or circuit diagrams. The approach was intended to allow domain experts, designers, and programmers to work with forms suited to their respective roles, while retaining a common underlying model. The workbench also incorporated features associated with professional software development, including integrated test-case specification, version-control support, and runtime deployment for releasing standalone products. The technology was primarily integrated with Microsoft’s .NET ecosystem, although Java deployment was also supported. In addition to the workbench, Intentional Software developed the Intentional Platform, which was aimed at improving the productivity of software groups. Intentional Software operated as a specialized technology company and did not become a broadly distributed consumer or enterprise brand. Its contribution was centered on language-focused development, domain-specific programming, and the representation of software at a level closer to business and technical intent. By 2017, the company had almost 100 employees. Microsoft acquired it on April 18 of that year, with many employees moving to the Microsoft Office team. The acquisition ended Intentional Software’s independent corporate existence.

• 2017

  Microsoft acquires Intentional Software

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Microsoft acquired Intentional Software and integrated many of its employees into the Office team.

• 2006

  Major technology rewrite

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Intentional Software completed another major rewrite of its implementation after rebuilding the technology from scratch.

• 2003

  Kiczales leaves the company

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Co-founder Gregor Kiczales departed Intentional Software.

• 2002

  Intentional Software is founded

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Simonyi and Gregor Kiczales co-founded Intentional Software to commercialize intentional programming concepts outside Microsoft.

• 2000

  Microsoft releases an educational video

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Microsoft released educational material introducing its intentional programming system.

• 1999

  Project moves from Microsoft Research to development

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  The intentional programming project was transferred from Microsoft Research into a Microsoft development group.

• 1995

  Simonyi demonstrates an intentional programming environment

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Simonyi had built an integrated development environment demonstrating intentional programming by March 1995.

• 1995

  Intentional programming described in a technical report

  [1]Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Simonyi published a technical report explaining the intended shift from conventional computer languages toward representations centered on programmer and user intent.

A specialist software-development technology company focused on representing software in terms of domain concepts and user intent, using language workbenches and multiple program projections to reduce the distance between requirements, design, and implementation.

• Language workbench

  Domain Workbench

  The Domain Workbench was Intentional Software’s principal development environment for building and using domain-specific languages. It allowed organizations to model concepts and rules from a particular business or technical field and create custom views for different participants. Underlying programs were represented as structured information rather than only as text, enabling projections such as diagrams or programming-language-like notation. The workbench also supported integrated test specifications, version control, and runtime deployment. It was primarily connected to the .NET ecosystem, with Java deployment also supported.

• Software team productivity platform

  Intentional Platform

  The Intentional Platform was a platform developed to improve the productivity of software groups. It extended the company’s language-focused approach beyond an individual development environment by providing a basis for organizing domain knowledge, software representations, and implementation choices across a team. The platform was associated with the company’s broader goal of allowing software to evolve as expert knowledge about implementation options changed.

• 2017

  Microsoft acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Intentional Software had developed language-focused software tools and had almost 100 employees.

  Action taken

  Microsoft acquired Intentional Software on April 18, 2017, and many employees joined the Microsoft Office team.

  Aftermath

  Intentional Software ceased operating as an independent company, while its personnel and technology were absorbed into Microsoft.

  Source

• 2006

  Major rewrite of the technologyStrategy

  Background

  After the company had to develop its implementation independently rather than reuse Microsoft’s code, it continued refining the technology.

  Action taken

  Intentional Software carried out another major rewrite of its software.

  Aftermath

  The rewrite supported the company’s continued development of the Domain Workbench and related intentional programming capabilities.

  Source

• 2001

  Commercialization moves outside MicrosoftStrategy

  Background

  Microsoft was prioritizing the rollout of C# and .NET and decided not to commercialize the intentional programming paradigm as a Microsoft product.

  Action taken

  Charles Simonyi obtained Microsoft’s approval to take the concept outside the company and commercialize it through a new venture. Microsoft cross-licensed Simonyi’s patents, while the new company developed its own implementation.

  Aftermath

  The decision led to the founding of Intentional Software in 2002 and established the company as an independent specialist in language workbenches and intentional programming.

  Source

1. 1Intentional Softwareen.wikipedia.org