Software Engineering and Programming Languages
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An experimental analysis of the performance of fourth generation tools on PCs
The performance of several Fourth Generation Language (4GL) tools is analyzed empirically and compared with equivalent programs written in the third generation COBOL programming language. A set of performance benchmarks consisting of thirteen separate functions is presented which encompasses the areas of simulating the operators of the relational algebra, accessing records in the database, and updating the database. This serves as a baseline for comparing the various 4GL systems.
A single adaptable user interface (AUI) which allows the user to switch between any number of different dialogue modes at any time—even in the middle of a command—can be useful to a variety of users who are neither beginners nor experts. It can also be used in applications where different dialogue modes are appropriate for the various parameters of a single command. An implemented user interface management system (UIMS) suggests the practicality of AUIs and their automatic generation.
Information technologies for the 1990s: an organizational impact perspective
When a thing is new, people say: "It is not true." Later, when its truth becomes obvious, they say: "It is not important." Finally, when its importance cannot be denied, they say: "Anyway, it is not new."
Adapted from William James
Practical performance of Bloom filters and parallel free-text searching
Bloom filter technique of hashing finds several applications, such as in efficient maintenance of differential files, space efficient storage of dictionaries, and parallel free-text searching. The performance of hash transformations with reference to the filter error rate is the focus of this article.
A finite and real-time processor for natural language
People process natural language in real time and with very limited short-term memories. This article describes a computational architecture for syntactic performance that also requires fixed finite resources.
Impact of a restricted natural language interface on ease of learning and productivity
People process natural language in real time and with very limited short-term memories. This article describes a computational architecture for syntactic performance that also requires fixed finite resources.
An evaluation tool for measuring authoring system performance
A model for producing objective and precise measurements of the power and performance of authoring systems is described. An animation task is given as an example of the model's potential as a tool for evaluating authoring systems along the dimensions of functionality, flexibility, and productivity.
The case against user interface consistency
Designers striving for user interface consistency can resemble Supreme Court justices trying to define pornography: each of us feels we know it when we see it, but people often disagree and a precise definition remains elusive. A close examination suggests that consistency is an unreliable guide and that designers would often do better to focus on users' work environments.
Four paradigms of information systems development
Developing computer-based information systems necessarily involves making a number of implicit and explicit assumptions. The authors examine four different approaches to information systems development.
DEBL: a knowledge-based language for specifying and debugging distributed programs
DEBL provides a uniform, rigorous, and programming-language-independent environment for distributed program specification and debugging.
Using an architectural knowledge base to generate code for parallel computers
The authors present a reconfigurable compiler for distributed memory parallel computers that performs automatic program partitioning, mapping, and communication code generation under the guidance of directives supplied by the programmer.
CASE productivity perceptions of software engineering professionals
Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) is moving into the problem-solving domain of the systems analyst. The authors undertook a study to investigate the various functional and behavioral aspects of CASE and determine the impact it has over manual methods of software engineering productivity.
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