Re: cdt glossary 0.1.0

From: mAsterdam <mAsterdam_at_vrijdag.org>
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 00:09:41 +0100
Message-ID: <4400e374$0$11067$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl>

Mark Johnson wrote:
> mAsterdam wrote:

>>People tend to assume that words mean what they are
>>accustomed to, and take for granted that the other
>>posters have about the same connotations.
>>They don't always.

>
> What you might have to do is characterize some context, and then list
> the jargon. Another context, other jargon. And then establish some
> degree of correspondence, perhaps characterized as strong, weak and
> exact. You have things like General, Math, Software.

I like the idea. I don't like the '/you/ might have to ...' part, though. I prefer to copy & paste. Somewhere the glossary says: "Please don't let me do all the editing".

[snip]

>>[Data]
>>...
>>1a. facts

>
>
> Including scale, domain, dimension. A quart is not the same as a
> British pound.

In order to be effective, the glossary should stay as short as possible. Definitions need not be complete or even formally correct. There are lots of places where one can find such definitions. There have been several threads in the past where an agreement simply followed when it became clear, that what one poster meant with "data" was something else than what the other meant. This entry helps us to prevent repetition as it is. More nuance is IMO not necessary.

[snip]

>>[Database]
>> "A logically coherent collection of related real-world data
>> assembled for a specific purpose."  -- rephrased from
>>"Fundamentals of Database Systems", Elmasri & Navathe.

>
>

>>1. Deluxe filesystem
>>2. Shared databank (E. Codd)

>
>
> By logically coherent, they mean - ordered. By order comes both
> insertion and retrieval. And organized collection, if one prefers.

So?

> It need not be anything from the "real-world". A database of some
> fantasy skid, or the meanderings of Alice in the woods, would still be
> an organized collection, just of otherwise meaningless phrases.

Agreed. Do you have a better quote/definition?

[snip]

>>Application


> 

> 	As a noun, loosely a stand-alone program as perceived by the

> customer, rather than a component - spreadsheet, but not necessarily
> integrated into another application, etc.
>

>>Attribute


> 

> 	An aspect, a component

>

>>Concept


> 

> 	See entity

>

>>Dynamic vs static


> 

> 	Static meaning unchanging, dynamic subject to change

>

>>Hierarchy


> 

> 	Organization by category and sub-category

>

>>Scalar


> 

> 	A real or integer, with or without dimension

Received on Sat Feb 25 2006 - 17:09:41 CST