Dear Conference Attendee:

Like me, you probably have to work hard to keep up with the latest research and developments in object-oriented technologies and software. If so, you will want to attend the 3rd Conference on Object-Oriented Technologies and Systems (COOTS), sponsored by the USENIX Association. See Program at a Glance for an overview schedule of the conference.

COOTS showcases advanced R&D work, focusing on experimental research and experience using O-O techniques and languages to build sophisticated software systems that meet real-world needs. You will find a strong emphasis on taking today's hot topics into tomorrow - for example, applying patterns to the development of robust and maintainable software systems, taking advantage of new features of soon-to-be-standard C++, using Java in industrial settings, and building distributed CORBA-based systems that solve real-world business problems.

Here are some of the topics you will learn about:

• How to build distributed object systems with CORBA and DCOM
• How to write robust programs using C++ and Java
• How to develop fault-tolerant O-O distributed systems
• How to write distributed and concurrent applications with Java
• How to apply design patterns to create successful communication software systems
• How to use the ANSI/ISO C++ Standard Library effectively

There will also be an Advanced Topics Workshop (ATW) entitled "Software Components: Integration and Collaboration". The ATW will be held in an informal setting to facilitate technical discussion and interchange, and will be by-invitation-only based on the submission of a position paper. See Advanced Topics for more information.

The importance of O-O technologies continues to increase in both industry and academia, and so I am certain that this conference will be useful to you.

Regards,
Steve Vinoski, IONA Technologies, Inc.
Program Chair

PS: Remember to sign up for tutorials early. See Tutorials for more information.