Table Of ContentChristiane Floyd Heinz Ztillighoven
Reinhard Budde Reinhard Keil-Slawik
(Editors)
Software Development
and
Reality Construction
With 20 Figures
Springer-Verlag
Berlin Heidelberg New York
London Paris Tokyo
Hong Kong Barcelona
Budapest
Christiane Floyd
Technische Universitat Berlin, Institut fiir Angewandte Informatik, Sekr. S - 6,
FranklinstraBe 28/29,1000 Berlin 10, Fed. Rep. of Germany
Heinz Zullighoven
GMD, Institut flir Systemtechnik (F2), Postfach 1240,
W-S20S Sankt Augustin 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany
Reinhard Budde
GMD, Institut flir Systemtechnik (F2), Postfach 1240,
W-S20S Sankt Augustin 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany
Reinhard Keil-Slawik
Technische Universitat Berlin, Institut flir Angewandte Informatik, Sekr. S - 6,
FranklinstraBe 28/29,1000 Berlin 10, Fed. Rep. of Germany
Illustrations by Claudia Weiler-Kuhn
CR Classification (1991): D.2, H.l, H.5, K.4, K.6
ISBN-13: 978-3-642-76819-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-76817-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-76817-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Software development and reality construction/Ch Floyd ...
[et al.], eds. p. cm. Includes bibliographical referenc~s and index.
1. Computer software-Development. 2. Human--{Oomputer interac-
tion. I. Floyd, Christiane. QA76.76.D47S633 1992 005.1-dc20 91-43082
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Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1992
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Preface
The present book is based on the conference Software Development and Reality
Construction held at SchloB Eringerfeld in Germany, September 25 - 30, 1988.
This was organized by the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) in cooperation
with the German National Research Center for Computer Science (GMD), Sankt
Augustin, and sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation whose financial support
we gratefully acknowledge. The conference was an interdisciplinary scientific and
cultural event aimed at promoting discussion on the nature of computer science
as a scientific discipline and on the theoretical foundations and systemic practice
required for human-oriented system design.
In keeping with the conversational style of the conference, the book comprises
a series of individual contributions, arranged so as to form a coherent whole.
Some authors reflect on their practice in computer science and system design.
Others start from approaches developed in the humanities and the social sciences
for understanding human learning and creativity, individual and cooperative
work, and the interrelation between technology and organizations. Thus, each
contribution makes its specific point and can be read on its own merit. But,
at the same time, it takes its place as a chapter in the book, along with all
the other contributions, to give what seemed to us a meaningful overall line of
argumentation. This required careful editorial coordination, and we are grateful
to all the authors for bearing with us throughout the slow genesis of the book and
for complying with our requests for extensive revision of some of the manuscripts.
The way the book evolved also made great demands on everyone engaged
in its production. We are especially indebted to the following persons whose
commitment and excellent work enabled the book to be brought to a successful
conclusion:
Claudia Weiler-Kuhn, our illustrator, who was willing to devote her time and
attention to understanding our abstract ways of thinking;
Philip Bacon, who translated or polished up many of the texts written by
non-native authors;
Daniela Wegge, who compiled a significant portion of the bibliography;
Doris Fahndrich, who coordinated production of the book. She created the
technical environment based on L\TEX and eventually assumed sole responsibility
for the layout of the text as a whole. The extraordinary care and patience she
showed here have greatly contributed to the overall quality of the book.
Finally, we would like to thank Hans Wossner of the Springer Verlag who
went to considerable lengths to accommodate our rather unconventional ideas
concerning the book's design.
Christiane Floyd, Reinhard Keil-Slawik
Technische Universitat Berlin (TUB)
Reinhard Budde, Heinz Ziillighoven
Gesellschaft fUr Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung (GMD)
Berlin and Sankt Augustin, August 1991
Table of Contents
Prologue 1
1 Thinking About Computer Science 11
1.1 Human Questions in Computer Science
Christiane Floyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.2 Learning from our Errors
Donald E. Knuth . ...... . 28
2 Living Computer Science 31
2.1 The Technical and the Human Side of Computer Science
Klaus-Peter Lohr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.2 Hermeneutics and Path
Joseph A. Goguen ..... . 39
2.3 Computing: Yet Another Reality Construction
Rodney M. Burstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.4 How Many Choices Do We Make? How Many Are Difficult?
Kristen Nygaard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2.5 From Scientific Practice to Epistemological Discovery
Douglas T. Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3 On Reality Construction ......... . 71
3.1 Self-Organization and Software Development
Heinz von Foerster and Christiane Floyd ... . . 75
3.2 Software Development as Reality Construction
Christiane Floyd .................... . 86
3.3 The Idea that Reality is Socially Constructed
Bo Dahlbom ................................ 101
VIII Table of Contents
4 Learning to Know ........ 127
4.1 Scientific Expertise as a Social Process
Klaus A mann. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... 131
4.2 How to Communicate Proofs or Programs
Dirk Siefkes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 140
4.3 Making Errors, Making Sense, Making Use
John M. Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 155
4.4 Artifacts in Software Design
Reinhard K eil-Slawik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 168
5 Computer Science and Beyond ............... 189
5.1 The Denial of Error
Joseph A. Goguen ... . ..... 193
5.2 Towards a New Understanding of Data Modelling
Heinz K. Klein and Kalle Lyytinen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
5.3 A Reappraisal of Information Science
Pentti Kerola and Jouni Simila. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
6 Understanding the Computer Through Metaphors 229
6.1 Perspectives and Metaphors for Human-Computer Interaction
Susanne Maaft and Horst Oberquelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
6.2 Software Tools in a Programming Workshop
Reinhard Budde and Heinz Ziillighoven ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
6.3 Soft Engines - Mass-Produced Software for Working People?
Wolfgang Coy ............................... 269
6.4 Artificial Intelligence: A Hermeneutic Defense
Thomas F. Gordon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
7 Designing for People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
7.1 Shared Responsibility: A Field of Tension
Gro Bjerknes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 295
7.2 A Subject-Oriented Approach to Information Systems
Markku 1. Nurminen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Table of Contents IX
7.3 Anticipating Reality Construction
Fanny-Michaela Reisin .......................... 312
7.4 On Controllability
Wolfgang Dzida ... . ............. 326
7.5 Work Design for Human Development
Walter Volpert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
8 Epistemological Approaches to Informatics . . . . . . 349
8.1 Truth and Meaning Beyond Formalism
Joseph A. Goguen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
8.2 Informatics and Hermeneutics
Rafael Capurro . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ 363
8.3 Language and Software, or: FritzI's Quest
Dafydd Gibbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .......... 376
8.4 Activity Theory as a Foundation for Design
Arne Raeithel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... 391
8.5 ReHections on the Essence of Information
Klaus Fuchs-Kittowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Bibliography ............................... 445
List of Authors ............................. 471
Prologue
Prologue 3
Proscenium
A stage. The curtain is down. Christiane emerges from behind the curtain. She is
carrying this book in her hand.
Christiane
This is a book about human questions in computer science. Questions such
as: What are we actually doing in our work? What assumptions do we rely
on? What claims can we really meet? How do we view human beings in
relation to computers? What is the impact of the computer in use? How can
we promote quality? What kind of social changes do we bring about? To
what extent is information technology conducive to human development?
The authors of this book share the conviction that a deeper understanding of
these issues is essential for guiding responsible action in science and design.
In working on this book, we have proceeded from the assumption that there
can be no single theoretical framework providing answers to the set of the
questions raised above. All of us approach them from our own perspectives,
shaped by our experience in life, by our work and through our interaction
with others. We realize that even the way we select and formulate our ques
tions reflects our particular perspective, while you, the reader, proceed from
yours. We would like to encourage you to pursue your own questions and to
promote discussions in your own personal context.
Heinz (joins her.)
This is a book about our parts in a play. A play in which there are many
actors. A play about science and software development. Let us take a look
behind the scenes to see the way this play is staged and the effects and
illusions that are created during its performance.
And you, the reader of our book, shall not only be the spectator - cut off
from the action by an imaginary "fourth wall" and embarking on this book
as if merely watching our play. Instead, it is our intention to involve you in
the development of the book and show you how the play evolved.
It all began with Christiane and me giving a joint seminar.
