We’ve devoted many pages of this magazine to the most effective ways to handle, store, secure, and explore the mammoth volume of information now available at our fingertips. Over the years, the searching technologies have advanced, user needs have diversified, and the focus of late has been tuned to analytical tools to uncover concealed patterns […]
Diane Crawford
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Embrace the Engineering Metaphor
As Wei-Lung Wang points out in his "Viewpoint" ("Beware the Engineering Metaphor," May 2002), there are many similarities between the work of the software developer and that of the mathematician. However, I question the central thesis of the column, namely that "building software is inherently not an engineering task." The evidence provided by Wang is […]
I was delighted to read Philip Armour’s "Business of Software" column ("The Spiritual Life of Projects," Jan. 2002). Indeed the majority of those who think, plan, and act in workplaces are not very aware of the human dimension of the work and might read such words with a sarcastic smile. Armour seems quite familiar with […]
Middleware—long regarded as the glue that connects two separate applications—is in the throes of transformation as more and more traditionally static systems shift over to the world of mobility and interactivity. Indeed, middleware will be a key ingredient in the next generation of the Web; that of a pervasive entity incorporating a rich combination of […]
Weighing in on the Notion of ‘dumbing Up’
As an avid reader of Robert Glass’s columns, I was astonished to see him admonishing the purity of form required by an academic technical paper ("Stodgy by Design and the Notion of ‘Dumbing Up’, Feb. 2002). Just kidding. Glass touched a nerve, mostly because I believe clarity of communication, not form, is one of the […]
The ACM Fellows Program was established by the ACM Council in 1993 to recognize and honor outstanding ACM members for their achievements in computer science and information technology and for their significant contributions to the mission of the ACM. The ACM Fellows serve as distinguished colleagues to whom the ACM and its members look for […]
The next generation in Web-based systems is fast upon us as we move from the one-size-fits-all site to the customizable system that adapts to a user’s individual needs and tastes based on the system’s knowledge of the user. For many years an adaptable Web site was little more than a seemingly unachievable dream for most […]
I enjoyed reading Phillip Armour’s column ("The Business of Software," Jan. 2002) regarding the spritual side of project teams. It put into words some ideas I have tried to express to team members over the years. The only area of disagreement is with one of Armour’s statements regarding weaker personnel. He states that a Gaussian […]
The ACM, as stated in the masthead of every issue of Communications, is "an international scientific and educational organization … serving both professional and public interests…" This statement of the purpose and goals of the ACM is why I’m a member. In that context, I found Neil Munro’s "From Washington" column ("Too Much of a […]
I enjoyed the special section on Aspect-Oriented Programming (Oct. 2001), but I disagree with the editors’ claim that "Object technology has difficulty localizing concerns involving global constraints and pandemic behaviors, appropriately segregating concerns, and applying domain-specific knowledge." The difficulty is not with object technology as a whole, but with the specific tools and methods that […]
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