Where Art Thou, O Rational

Having just read an article on the Reg Developer, I am struck by their question of what has happened to the once great company, and product, of Rational. For the company that created UML and produced the best, if not most expensive, software tools for design applications they have been suprisingly silent. Is this IBM's doing?

In case you didn't know, IBM bought Rational Software about two years ago. It was said, jokingly, at the time that IBM bought Rational because it was cheaper to buy the company than to purchase the licenses they needed for the software suite. It is expensive.

The article initially speculates that IBM is planning on replacing the Rational tools with others that it has developed, but the marketing manager for the Rational division disputes it.

Either way, Rational is as good as dead if they don't get out there and get visibility. Only time will tell.