Re: virus: Extrocranial Memes

Bob Hartwig (hartwig@ais.net)
Tue, 11 Aug 1998 13:03:34 -0500


Would an appropriate analogy be the difference between a computer's
BIOS/OS/device drivers and it's application software? There is no
difference from the CPU's perspective, but it's useful for the application
developer to treat the low-level system services as an abstraction, not
necessarily to be dealt with directly.

If this analogy is a good one, we may wish to consider a few other aspects
of the different levels of abstraction in software:

- For the application developer, it is actually a *good* thing to treat
the OS services as a black box. Because of the complexity of application
software development, the OS or device driver internals would only serve as
a confusing distraction.

- For the device driver or system level software developer, it is not
necessary to be well versed in, or even aware of the applications'
functionality.

- The two must agree on a well-defined, well-documented public interface,
a set of methods or function calls where the application meets the OS or
device driver.

- A really good software team should have one "architect", or "guru" who
understands the system from the highest levels of abstraction to the
lowest. This rare alpha-geek is often considered the most important member
of the team.

Just a few thoughts,
Bob

At 12:18 PM 8/11/98 -0400, you wrote:
>I have met Wade, he is definately off the deep end, Tim too. We are all
>swimming there somewhere, but like in "Marco-Polo" we are blind.
>
>Its kind of strange to feel a "need" to seperate form and function when
>one cannot exist or be explained without knowing the other. It seems
>that the only reason for seperation of mind and brain is for study.
>
>
>
>Sodom
>Bill Roh
>
>Wade T.Smith wrote:
>
>> >On the contrary... only a fanatic would pretend there's
>> >no difference between structure and functionality.
>>
>> Hmmm.
>>
>> I must be fairly fanatical.
>>
>> *****************
>> Wade T. Smith
>> morbius@channel1.com | "There ain't nothin' you
>> wade_smith@harvard.edu | shouldn't do to a god."
>> ******* http://www.channel1.com/users/morbius/ *******
>
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