Re: Design shift of view

Buck

I am glad that you find looking at our industry from a broadened viewpoint
to be of value.

I entirely sympathise with your view on new paradigms and your wish to
highlight similarities between methods rather than differences.  I agree
that this would make the sale easier. 

My first reaction however was that it was not possible since the
connectionist methods of the Neural Database are so different from
traditional computing methods.  Then it occurred to me that before
computers, our method was of course to rely on the human brain. 
Connectionism is based on the brain, so we might describe its use in
computing as a "return to basics" as much as a new paradigm.

Do you think that this approach might help?

Rob Dixon



----------
> From: Buck Calabro <mcalabro@commsoft.net> 
> To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
> Subject: RE: Design shift of view
> Date: 22 July 1998 17:08
> 
> On Tuesday, July 21, 1998 3:36 AM, James W. Kilgore
[SMTP:qappdsn@ibm.net] 
> wrote:
> 
> -snip cool stuff about design paradigms-
> 
> > In my opinion, we (IT professionals) are still at level 4.  To advance 
> to
> > step 6
> > does require a radical change in design philosophy and therefore
> > application
> > development tools. Yet, our employers/clients are the owners of a
xxxxxx
> > enterprise.  Using information technology in a newer light requires
that
> > designers understand the "broadened" viewpoint of the enterprise as a
> > whole and
> > move beyond hyperthyroid calculators, glorified typewriters and filing
> > cabinets.
> 
> This is a great analogy, but I see code (and coders) that are still at 
> step 2, i.e. they don't really consider the ramifications of moving a 
> CHAIN or setting a new indicator (no, not my code <g>!)  That's why a 
> discussion like this is so valuable: every new idea that people are 
> exposed to opens one's mind a bit more...
> 
> May I suggest that a broadened viewpoint is valuable in and of itself,
and 
> that a better class of solutions will come about *without* the absolute 
> necessity of a radical change in philosophy.  All too often, people hear 
> about a new paradigm, etc., and see such things as the "flavour of the 
> month."  Rather than focus on the differences between existing design 
> concepts and newer ones, perhaps we should focus on the similarities. 
The 
> sale would sure be easier...
> 
> Buck Calabro
> Commsoft, Albany, NY
> mailto:mcalabro@commsoft.net
> 
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