Emma@SU-CSLI.ARPA (Emma Pease) (03/06/86)
[Excerpted from the CSLI Calendar by Laws@SRI-AI.] SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT TALK The Perspective Concept in Computer Science 12:15, Monday, March 10, Ventura Conference Room Our topic next Monday (March 10) will be a continued discussion (introduced by Jens Kaasboll) of the issues raised by Kristen Nygaard in his talk about perspectives on the use of computers: Regardless of definitions of ``perspective'', there exist many perspectives on computers. Computers are regarded as systems, tools, institutions, toys, partners, media, symbols, etc. Even so, there exist system description languages but no tool, or institution, or ... languages. What do the other perspectives reflect, which make them less attractive for language designers? Suggestive answer: The system perspective is the definite computer science perspective in which the processes inside the computers are regarded as the goal of our work. Viewed through some of the other perspectives, the computer is seen as a means for achieving ends outside the computer, i.e., the needs of people using the computers.