On Mon, 8 Jul 2013, Joseph Kern wrote:
"Precisely those activities necessary for the correct functioning of a
computer system that the system cannot do for itself".
I like this definition Rob, but where's the human interaction aspect
Hi Joseph. My definition deliberately doesn't cover humans. While we can
reasonably assume that all computer systems are ultimately set up for the
benefit of humans[1], in some cases there may be no direct human
interaction with the system. An example here may be control systems that
run SCADA gear. The systems we support can be many and varied and I
wasn't making assumptions about how they would be used.
[1] This doesn't exclude the possibility that the system benefits some
humans at the expense of others.
(users)? And what is your definition of a "computer system"? Are you
I've taken a broad view of the word 'system' here, as I do with the term
'system administrator'. A network of computers that are interacting can
reasonably be called a system. Indeed the distinction between individual
computers will continue to blur over time in my view. The idea of drawing
a distinction between the computers and the network will become less
relevant over time.
I can understand the confusion because 'computer system' could be taken to
mean a single computer. I'm open to alternatives. I avoided the
construction 'computers and networks' since it's a bit clumsy when
repeated.
including networks of such systems in your statement? There's also a
business component needed here, do you feel that's outside the scope of
your statement?
I consider the business component to be covered by the wording "correct
functioning". The owners or controllers of the system define what correct
functioning means. Many people would call those the busiess rules.
Thanks for your feedback. This helps me understand which areas need
clarificiation in the definition.
Cheers,
Rob
--
Email: [email protected] Linux counter ID #16440
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Web: http://www.practicalsysadmin.com
Director, Software in the Public Interest (http://spi-inc.org/)
Information is a gas
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