· If the role of computer
language is to facilitate the manipulation of data, why then did Colburn argue
against Ashenhurst’s proposition?
R. Ashenhurst describes information modeling as
The formulation
of a model in support of information systems development. One in which
information aspects of objective and subjective reality (“the application”) are
represented, independently of the datasets and processes by which they may be
realized (“the system”)
Colburn , on the other hand,
argues that such proposition is not exactly true based on three fundamental
reasons, First, the evolution of programming language allows both aspects of
software creation to be facilitated simultaneously for better
software quality; namely, datalogical as well as infological and their respective
dimensions. Secondly, The distinction of infological and datalogical is
gradually dissolved due to methods of data
abstraction and procedural abstraction which are independent of any particular high level
language and the corporation of data and information. Thirdly, the software
tools for machine
independent in software creation process allows programmers to think in both terms
– data and information.
· What does Colburn meant with this phrase in his
conclusion:
“… the trend is towards narrowing the
gap between the infological and
the datalogical [thinkings]”?
Colburn sums up the chapter with the idea that in the
future the gap between data and information will be narrowed due to the evolution of programming language that has resulted in the new paradigm which will
dynamically support both components right from the onset of software development.
This is possible through the advances in software engineering and the evolving
programming languages. They will make users less burden of data and processes
and empower users towards information
modelers.
