Re: The naive test for equality

From: mAsterdam <mAsterdam_at_vrijdag.org>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 23:45:59 +0200
Message-ID: <42fa7571$0$11071$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl>

VC wrote:

> mAsterdam wrote:

>>VC wrote:
>>>mAsterdam wrote:
>>>>vc wrote:
>>>>>David Cressey wrote:
>>>>>>...The two words, "synonym" and "homonym" are borrowed from
>>>>>>the argot of natural linguistics, but the two problems arise
>>>>>>whenever data is represented.
>>>>>
>>>>>In modelling, "synonym/homonym problems" are problems only when they
>>>>>are self-induced.
>>>>
>>>>What do you mean by that? I've done quite some practical modelling
>>>>with teams. I never experienced the problem not coming up.
>>>
>>>For example ?
>>
>>What do you mean by "self-induced"?

>
> Self-inflicted (synonym)

The "Self" being the modeller, right?
When modelling is done by teams there are more selves. Any two people even when working together closely for years have different associations and connotations with some words some time.

Another, less cryptic example:

Say a team tries to meet the requirement that it should be possible to find out where a piece of information came from.

One thinks 'origin', another one thinks 'source'. (1)

Let's say they talk about it and decide on 'source'.

One thinks 'the source code of a program' because yesterday he spent some time finding a source-file, another one thinks 'the external agent providing the piece of information' because he just finished a business process analysis session. (2)

Both the synonym-problem (1) and the homonym-problem (2) may very well be recognized and resolved, of course. Or not. Or to late. Received on Wed Aug 10 2005 - 16:45:59 CDT