Re: The fable of DEMETRIUS, CONSTRAINTICUS, and AUTOMATICUS

From: Marshall Spight <mspight_at_dnai.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 17:59:17 GMT
Message-ID: <VZwed.236726$wV.133@attbi_s54>

"Kenneth Downs" <firstinit.lastname_at_lastnameplusfam.net> wrote in message news:9lv9lc.vdt.ln_at_mercury.downsfam.net...
>
> No reverse-engineering. There is a one-way street that goes:
>
> Human being or design tool -> text file spec -> tool -> database
>
> It actually took me years to completely work out the idea that the system of
> record must exist both in definition and in reality outside of the system
> it governs. If you are building a database you can store a reference copy
> of the spec inside of it, but the persistent store for the spec must be
> outside of the database. It took so long because I tried it different ways
> and then of course had to make a living with the results of different
> decisions before I could try it a different way.

This is an intriguing statement, and I would like to ask you to expand on it. I expect I am some years earlier in the process than you are; I have seen evidence for this, but I'm still thinking in terms of having the catalog in the database. (But I suppose this is the "reference copy" you mention.)

Marshall Received on Sat Oct 23 2004 - 12:59:17 CDT