Re: Navigation vs Relational operators

"Dawn M. Wolthuis" <dwolt_at_tincat-group.com> wrote:

[snip]

>I dunno about that -- it seems to me that if you say "Take me to LAX" and
>you take me down all of these streets until we get there -- that is
>navigation. I didn't need to know how to get there, but someone did.
>
>If you say "Take me to LAX" and you don't navigate there, but rather use
>some set operations to beem me up to LAX, then that is relational -- no
>visible navigation because no navigational operators were employed by anyone
>including the taxi driver.
>
>Or am I missing the point? --dawn

     I think so. In the second case, the transporter operator would know what to do. In the first case, the taxi driver is analogous to the DBMS. In the second case, the transporter operator is analagous to the DBMS. In both cases, we do not need to know how they do what they do; we just specify the desired result.

     The navigation (or whatever the execution is called) is hidden from us.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:

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