17.230 waterfall diagram?

From: Humanist Discussion Group (by way of Willard McCarty ) (willard@mccarty.me.uk)
Date: Sun Sep 07 2003 - 04:43:45 EDT

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                   Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 17, No. 230.
           Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
                       www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
                            www.princeton.edu/humanist/
                         Submit to: humanist@princeton.edu

             Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 09:08:27 +0100
             From: Willard McCarty <willard@mccarty.me.uk>
             Subject: waterfall diagram?

    Among the images I have collected (without, alas, recording where I got it)
    is one whose origin I would like to find -- so that I can cite or reproduce
    it in print. I have put it online, at
    http://ilex.cc.kcl.ac.uk/q/waterfall-image.jpg. It is a so-called
    "waterfall diagram" of the process of designing a computing system. The
    diagram shows the derivation of a machine as operational model of a system
    from a real-world (physical) system through four processes: systems
    analysis, which generates a computational model of the real-world system
    without reference to specific implementation; specification and design,
    which generates from the previous a model in terms of specific
    implementation; programming, which generates a model in terms of a
    finite-state machine; and finally, hardware design, which generates the
    machine itself.

    Does anyone know where this diagram or similar ones might be found? For
    some years I have used what I've called a "layer-cake" diagram to introduce
    the topic of computing system design to 1st-year students -- a hardware
    layer, followed by a ROM layer, an OS layer, an applications layer and so
    forth. I assume diagrams of this kind are quite common. Pointers to them
    would be most welcome.

    Thanks.

    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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