CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Colloquium Unfinished Revolution,
Document Management
Versioning Control
Web Mail Reduces Correspondence on Web

0906 -    ..
0907 - Summary/Objective
0908 -
090801 - Follow up ref SDS 53 0000, ref SDS 52 0000.
090802 -
090803 - Jeff Miller explains challenge of effective version control that does
090804 - not proliforate the record and cause more confusion than it is
090805 - intended to avoid. ref SDS 0 2955  He argues to not sacrafice
090806 - usefulness and utility to ease of use. ref SDS 0 9492  Others set out
090807 - importance of ease of use and ease of learning for base of key
090808 - features. ref SDS 0 1242  Eric proposes dynamic help.  He says ease of
090809 - use is closely related to frequency of use. ref SDS 0 5060  Eric
090810 - submits specific design parameters for an editor. ref SDS 0 0866
090811 -
090812 -
090813 -
090814 -
0909 -
0910 -
0911 - Progress
0912 -
091201 -  ..
091202 - Versioning Management Expands Exponentially
091203 -
091204 - Follow up ref SDS 53 2955.
091205 -
091206 - Jeff Miller submits ref DRT 1 0001 explains a variety of design issues
091207 - for maintaining integrity of communications where multiple versions
091208 - are created, including changes made by people besides the original
091209 - author.
091210 -
091211 - He further cites the challenge of maintaining links where multiple
091212 - versions arise. ref DRT 1 5766
091213 -
091214 - This reflects analysis on 990804 explaining webmail.
091215 -
091216 -
091217 -
091218 -
091219 -
0913 -

SUBJECTS
Usefulness v. Ease of Use
Ease of Use More Important than Usefulness
Extensible Code Users Customize to Suit Preference
Computers Reduce Management Focus on Analysis Because Attracted by Le
Technology Dilemma Unintended Consequences Information Overload

1808 -
180801 -  ..
180802 - Usefulness Balanced by Ease of Use, Burdens of Learning, Education
180803 -
180804 - Jeff Miller's second letter, ref DRT 2 0001, relates the need to
180805 - balance ease of use for the DKR with usefulness.
180806 -
180807 - Jeff recommends that power should not be drained out of the system in
180808 - order to make it easy to learn and use, noting...
180809 -
180810 -     ...we must have a gradient of usablity vs flexibility/power.
180811 -     There needs to be a simple interface for day-to-day tasks, more
180812 -     powerful, though difficult learn, tools for tasks that are
180813 -     uncommon but useful. ref DRT 2 5644
180814 - ..
180815 - Eugene Kim responds to Jeff, ref DRT 3 0001, suggesting that
180816 - certain capability should be easy to learn...
180817 -
180818 -      You need to draw a distinction between a general purpose computer
180819 -      and its applications.  Clearly, if you want to take advantage of
180820 -      the power of general purpose computing, you must be willing to
180821 -      traverse a fairly steep learning curve.  But if you're just using
180822 -      your word processor, spreadsheet, web browser, and e-mail client,
180823 -      it seems reasonable to expect almost instant usability.
180824 -      ref DRT 3 3074
180825 -
180826 - Eric Armstrong responds to Jeff's letter...
180827 -
180828 -      The number of programs a computer user interacts with can be very
180829 -      large. If each is an interface entity unto itself (as it was in
180830 -      the early days), then the situation is equivalent to renting a
180831 -      new car in a new city every few days, and finding a totally
180832 -      different set of controls (functions), as well as traffic signals
180833 -      and other signposts that tell you where you are, keep you
180834 -      oriented, and let you navigate. If your job is to travel from
180835 -      city to city and solve problems, you wind up having to become an
180836 -      expert on a multitude of auto and traffic systems -- when your
180837 -      real objective was to drain the swamp. ref DRT 4 5106
180838 -
180839 - Tom Landauer, Ph.D., sets out in his book that balancing ease of use
180840 - and usefulness is mainly resolved by market forces that favor ease of
180841 - use, which results in technology that is not very useful nor
180842 - productive, reviewed on 950710. ref SDS 9 0585
180843 -
180844 - Focus on time to market, and time to profitability, reduces rate of
180845 - innovation to improve productivity. ref SDS 9 2004
180846 -
180847 -
180848 -
180849 -  ..
180850 - Intelligence New Function that Justifies Frequent Use
180851 - Frequency of Use Guides Level of Effort to Learn Functionality
180852 -
180853 - Eric suggests a dynamic help system. ref DRT 4 3828
180854 -
180855 - He recognizes frequency of use is a controlling factor of leanining.
180856 - ref DRT 4 2976
180857 -
180858 -     Wordprocessing, spreadsheets and wading through a bunch of menus
180859 -     on a web browser entail quite a bit of learning.  The issue seems
180860 -     more likely the question of frequency of use.  If new capability,
180861 -     such as "alignment" and managing chronology, needed for
180862 -     "intelligence" turn out to be very useful, and so justify constant
180863 -     use, then investing time to learn the capability seems justified.
180864 -
180865 -     Intelligence is explained on 000120 as an enhancement of alphabet
180866 -     technology to support collaboration and avoid mistakes caused by
180867 -     meaning drift. ref SDS 46 1225
180868 - ..
180869 - Eric cites benefits of a program that users can customize to
180870 - accomplish functions they want using keys of their own choosing, since
180871 - this greatly facilitates learning, ref DRT 4 8961, which aligns with
180872 - objectives on 000129 for extensible XML editor. ref SDS 53 3600
180873 -
180874 -     [On 000423 Extensibility seems to be used differently for
180875 -     explaining atomic data structures. ref SDS 60 5033
180876 -
180877 -
180878 -
180879 -
180880 -
1809 -

SUBJECTS
Architecture, Editor
Requirements, Open Source, Extensible, XML
gIBIS Decision Analysis
Organize Information, Colloquium Correspondence, 000130
Specification DKR
Editor Prototype Planning
Requirements
Specifications, DKR, OHS
IBIS Proposed for OHS/DKR Project, Eric Armstrong

3212 -
321201 -  ..
321202 - Editor Design Requirements Consider IBIS
321203 -
321204 - Follow up ref SDS 53 0957
321205 -
321206 - Eric's third letter, ref DRT 5 0001, provides specific design issues
321207 - for the Editor.
321208 -
321209 - Initially, he discusses potential for gIBIS format to organize
321210 - correspondence. ref DRT 5 0001
321211 -
321212 -     On 940527 gIBIS was reviewed and appeared to support POIMS
321213 -     requirements. ref SDS 4 0783
321214 -
321215 -         [On 000218 Dick Karpinski cited benefits of gIBIS. ref SDS 57
321216 -         4345]
321217 -
321218 -         [On 00212 gIBIS is cited for capability for investigating
321219 -         information based on logical operators. ref SDS 55 9282]
321220 -
321221 -         [On 000218 gIBIS reviewed for decision modeling in relation to
321222 -         automating Robert's Rules of Order, ref SDS 56 0741, rigid
321223 -         rules limit application. ref SDS 56 0785
321224 -
321225 -         [On 000505 IBIS provided as potential requirement of OHS/DKR
321226 -         system. ref SDS 61 2650
321227 -
321228 - He proposes an XML data format, which seems to align with plans for an
321229 - XML editor presented on 000129. ref SDS 53 3383 and ref SDS 53 3600
321230 -
321231 -         [On 000131 Java browser that displays XML cited. ref SDS 54
321232 -         0866]
321233 -
321234 -         [On 000305 Xanadu claims to solve limitations of XML.
321235 -         ref SDS 58 1188]
321236 -
321237 -         [On 000306 editor spec update submitted. ref SDS 59 0782
321238 -      ..
321239 -      What other formats are possible?
321240 -
321241 -      What are trade offs?
321242 -
321243 -      The basic point of the whole thing is to use the web, which
321244 -      generally seems okay, although there has been no discussion so
321245 -      far of the need to maintain local records for anything that is
321246 -      posted to the Internet.
321247 -      ..
321248 -      How does this relate to document management from the design
321249 -      outline submitted on 000125? ref SDS 49 3867
321250 -
321251 - Eric discusses email announcements of changes. ref DRT 5 4125
321252 -      ..
321253 -      What does this mean?  Need scenario.
321254 - ..
321255 - Need example of editing conflict? ref DRT 5 0819
321256 -
321257 - Need explanation, example of a "node." ref DRT 5 1188
321258 -
321259 - Eric asks what to call the editor project? ref DRT 5 6336
321260 -
321261 -        KR1  (Knowledge Repository #1)
321262 -
321263 -        KR00101 might be better,
321264 -
321265 -        KRE01  (Knowledge Repository Editor 01)
321266 -
321267 -
321268 -
321269 -
321270 -
321271 -
321272 -