Professional C++

Chapter 24. Exploring Distributed Objects

Distributed computing is simply the idea that a program's operation can be spread across multiple computers on a network. As networks grow faster and more common, an increasing number of applications leverage other computers on the network during their processing.

In this chapter, you will learn about distributed objects: the application of object-oriented technologies to distributed computing. This chapter begins by defining distributed computing and distributed objects in more detail, including sample use cases. Next, you will be introduced to CORBA, a powerful architecture for programming distributed objects. Finally, you'll read about XML technologies and their role in distributed computing.

The Appeal of Distributed Computing

Distributed computing has received much attention in the last decade as the Internet has risen to prominence. Yet it is more than a buzzword—a distributed program is an ideal fit for certain types of applications. For example, try to imagine writing a program that contains all of the information available on the Web. It would be nearly impossible. The Web is only able to contain its massive amount of data and dynamic content because it is distributed across many different machines.

Distribution for Scalability

In an average day, your desktop computer probably spends most of its time doing nothing. Even when you are actively using your computer, modern processors are so fast that they are idle much of the time, waiting ...