16.526 prototyping and modelling

From: Humanist Discussion Group (by way of Willard McCarty willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk)
Date: Tue Mar 04 2003 - 02:56:44 EST

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                   Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 16, No. 526.
           Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
                       www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
                         Submit to: humanist@princeton.edu

             Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 07:51:45 +0000
             From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk>
             Subject: prototyping and modelling

    It would seem, then, from what has been said about rapid prototyping that
    one could argue for the following analogy without strain: as modelling is
    to the natural sciences so rapid prototyping is to software development. A
    qualification does leap to mind, however. Because software development, as
    a form of engineering, does actually have to come up with a product, the
    objective is an acceptable prototype and beyond that a working system, not
    only better knowledge. But then if one will allow that modelling aims at
    producing theories -- even if a theory is but a model no one wants
    fundamentally to tinker with -- there's still not much difference.

    Fair? Comments?

    Yours,
    WM

    Dr Willard McCarty | Senior Lecturer | Centre for Computing in the
    Humanities | King's College London | Strand | London WC2R 2LS || +44 (0)20
    7848-2784 fax: -2980 || willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk
    www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/



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