Bio: Mike Gorman

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Bio: Mike Gorman
3-Dec-2002 -- Susan Pichotta
 
This week, the Icetips News Network is pleased to feature a rather well-known Clarion programmer who claims "I don't do software development". Riiiight... he also says "data is executed policy and therefore the definition of data is the essence of corporate policy". Hmmm.... well, don't think it's all serious, Gramps manages to make fun of quite a few things along the way, including my husband's hairline.
 
Who do you work for?
I own Whitemarsh Information Systems Corporation. It was named after a church perched on a hill that overlooks a "whitemarsh." In 1779 all five Catholic priests in the colonies voted John Carroll as the first American Bishop. The election was at that church, Sacred Heart of Whitemarsh. When I formed the company it was suggested that the company NOT be named after your self in case it was ever really successful (hard to sell), nor name it something cute (Artful Smarts), but to name the company after something historic and local. I cannot spell Chesapeake, nor can I spell Patuxent, and if I named it John Hanson, everybody would want to meet him.... How could I tell them that he died about 200 years ago? (I'll let you figure out who John Hanson was and why he was the first American president.) So what was left? Whitemarsh.
 
What do you like best about what you do now?
I like bringing database solutions to clients. To me, data is executed policy and therefore the definition of data is the essence of corporate policy. Database information systems are the mechanisms through which policy is executed. So,

Two of Mike's 15 grandchildren, doing some engineering of their own.

to bring well engineered database systems to an enterprise is to install highly effective organization, planning and execution.
 
What has been one of your biggest challenges in using Clarion?
Getting used to the actual fact that it's really as good as it actually is. I never cease to be amazed that it can be used for so many things with great success.

 
What has been one of your biggest challenges in business?
The biggest challenge is to have a completed product line. It almost is now, and I just cannot wait to start selling it to large corporations and Government agencies. I got involved in database in 1969, and ran the Federal office for a DBMS vendor. It was great fun to install DBMS and build database applications in most of the executive level Federal agencies. What was missing was a way to bring to application development the speed that I enjoyed with database architecture and design. Guess what? Clarion is that vehicle. Hopefully, in April 2003, in Orlando, I'll be demonstrating real progress in this area to an international conference of data modelers, data administrators and database administrators. We have it all done now, we're just now building our VAR network and product demonstration vehicles.
 

Mike's son Matt, after a hard day of programming with a Russ Eggen doll.

Do you use any computer languages besides Clarion?
There are other worth knowing about? Oh, yes, SQL. I've been the Secretary of the ANSI NCITS H2 Technical Committee on Database for the past 25 years. H2 invented SQL, so I guess I know something about that....
 
When did you start using Clarion?
1987. Because it showed me that there really could be "programmer-less" programming. I've been constantly upgrading Clarion from 1987 through today, and couldn't wait till I could use it to build a CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tool and metadata repository. I've been building these since the early 1970s via mainframe DBMS (IMS, Supra, IDMS, System 2000, etc.) but since 1998, I've been building one in Clarion. It does Requirements Analysis through General Design. We then use our SQL generator and TXD generator to get to the DBMS and to Clarion. Clarion then takes over and generates the application.
 
What's the coolest project(s) you've worked on using Clarion?
The best application for "real" data was the membership system for NCITS (the National Committee for Information Technology Standards). The application was 175 tables and about 500K lines of code. All Clarion of course. It was 6,000 function points. By standard metrics we should have charged about $6 million. But we charged them only $350K. Oh well.
 
Of course the neatest "unreal" application is the Whitemarsh metabase. It only deals with metadata. See the previous answer for what it is, and you can download a copy from our website, www.wiscorp.com.
 

Mike Joined by Police at Buckingham Palace while Reading Local Newspaper

Have you done anything for a living other than software development?
I really don't do software development for a living. I do large scale system's engineering and database architecture. I'm right now involved in a "little" HR application. 2,000,000 employees. It will run on a multiple processor IBM mainframe under DB2 and have about 20 mainframe feeds that will probably provide a daily input transaction rate of about 500,000 transactions per day. The database size will be about 5,000 Gigabytes.
 
What are your hobbies/what do you like to do when you're not using Clarion?
Grandchildren. Lots and lots of Grandchildren. Let's see, Sophie, Teresa, Monica, Helen, Thomas, and Benedict. Then there's Willy and "?." Then, Olivia, Billy, Madeline, Margaret, and Sara. Then, Joey, Brian, and Steven. That's all for now.... check back next year.
 

Paul and Christy, Mike's #7 on their wedding day, July 2002. On seeing the picture, Mike said, "It's about time they got married." Actually, these are all 15 of Mike's grandchildren.

Married, children, grandchildren, other close family you want to mention?
Married? Never. Just been sleeping around a lot... No, actually, been married to Maxine since 1964. Kids: Mike Jr (professor of Philosophy and Theology at Catholic University of America), Katie (professor of music at Bowling Green University), Billy (Director of Natural Family Planning in Washington, D.C.), John (Paramedic and Firefighter (was at the Pentagon)). Matt (poor soul, he works for me as my specialist in Trivial Technical Details), Elizabeth (she's a nurse), and Paul (he's the business manager of a Vet Clinic (Degree in Animal Science (is that the study of Fraternities?))). And then there's the love of my life, Maxine. She's a Senior Diabetes Instructor at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. )

 
Where were you born?
I was born in Washington, D.C. Soon after birth I was vaccinated with a phonograph needle. My aunt was Margaret Gorman... Go figure out who she was... Go ahead, I'll wait.... Don't give up, keep looking....
 
Where do you live now?

Maxine and daughter Elizabeth at nursing college graduation.

Bowie, Maryland. It's about 25 miles East of Washington, D.C. I was away from home for two years and couldn't stand it... I really enjoy having Presidents, Vice Presidents, Ambassadors, Congressmen and Governors over for dinner. Yes, I'm delusional.
 
What's interesting about where you live?
About the possibility that I'll have Presidents, Vice Presidents, Ambassadors, Congressmen and Governors over for dinner. Actually, I was once driven to highschool by the Vice President, Richard Nixon. What's really neat about where I live is that it's no big deal eating lunch next to "big-wigs." Of course I introduce myself just so that they'll feel inferior... See, I told you I'm delusional.
 
Have you lived any other interesting places?
There are any others? Boy, what a stupid question.
 
Which person, from past or present, do you most admire and why?
I admire real people. That is, who lead from where their beliefs live (I stole that from Rudy Giuliani's new book, Leadership). Thus, I really admire General Winfield W. Scott, my old professor of Air Science (he was a POW in Korea). I admire Don MacDoughal who had 9 Purple Hearts. Where ever he wanted you to go you raced to get there. I admire Dutch. He led from his core. Simple and straight. I think Bush43 is the same way. Simple, straight, a man of his word.
 

Who says you can't have hot dogs at your birthday party?

What is your favorite food?
American Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream.
 
What is your favorite drink?
A good bottle of beer on a hot day and a strong cup of black coffee on a cold day.
 


What is your favorite type of music?
Old time opera, classics from the masters (Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms), and modern opera (Waylon, Willie, and Wynnona).
 
What is your favorite book? Movie?
Books about true life heros. Leadership by Giuliani, On Wings of Eagles (the Iran rescue by Ross Perot), that sort of thing. Movies: To Kill a Mockingbird, Dancing with Wolves, Backdraft, Patriot, and of course, Unforgiven. Oops, my all time favorite, Fiddler on the Roof.
 
If Clarion never existed, what do you think you would be doing at this time?
Same thing except that I'd only be able to tell it like it should be rather than showing how good it really is...
 
Anything else you want to mention?
I just cannot get over how Arnor deals with the heat and humidity of San Antonio. No wonder he's bald... it melted.
 
I've gotten to know a lot of you guys through the Clarion newsgroups and in person at DevCon's I cannot begin to thank you enough for all the help you've been to me and Matt. Whitemarsh's products ARE because of all your help. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
 
And to Steve Parker, my favorite Pinko Commie Liberal... of course, I'm his bone-headed Neanderthal.
 

A typical Summer Day at the Gorman House - Eat Your Heart Out Arnor