Re: OI and 'business intelligence' and reality

mountain man wrote:
> The definition recently posted for the term "organisational intelligence"
> (ie: as applied to computer systems = Sum of the data + Sum of the code)
> did not appear to be well received. ...

i think i receive it loud and clear. it is more subtle than some formulas. in fact, if you complete it, it reads sum ... = data sum + code sum + point_of_view + design_intent - misconceptions (eg. misconceptions about subject matter). this all assumes that approapriate domains are capable of some kind of 'plus' operation.

lets get real. most computer systems (and db systems as long as they depend on "code") can never be 'reality models' (even the rare "real-time" db's depend on integer clocks so can't be called instantaneous). a computer system that purports to do more than record-keeping can never be more than a metaphor. it should be classified according to how useful a metaphor it is (in its intended context).

this discussion has trespassed into the metaphysical. as a famous guy said (perhaps it was Dikstra, i'd be glad to know for sure): "the question of whether a computer can think is as interesting as whether a submarine can swim").

pc Received on Sat Apr 30 2005 - 06:58:04 CEST