Re: database systems and organizational intelligence

"Laconic2" <laconic2_at_comcast.net> wrote:

[snip]

>Very shortly after COBOL "caught on", it stopped being used as a combined
>programming and documentation language. Essentially, if the program
>"works", who cares how it looks? The owners have not only gone along with

     At a high level, this is true.

>this, but they have also been "enablers". It's an abuse of stewardship.

     I do not think so. Ask me to do something within my technical area, and I may produce something that you can not, in detail, understand. It may well do precisely what you want. Force me to do only that which you understand, and you cripple my potential.

>The same thing can happen to data. But this post is already too long.

     I have heard that SQL was originally intended to be end user read-write.

     The problem with many such tools is that the users ask for more and more, and it ends up getting past what they can handle themselves. We specialists end up with it.

Sincerely,

Gene Wrichenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:

     I have preferences.
     You have biases.
     He/She has prejudices.