Derek and co.
Our particular branch of the software reuse community, the group responsible for the
WISR Workshop on Institutionalizing Software Reuse
http://www.umcs.maine.edu/%7Eftp/wisr/wisr.html
have actually spent a bit of time on this "mental models" thing. While the "results"
are a bit varied, you might take a look at some of the working group discussions we
had. Specifically, the WISR 7 (WISR 95 in St. Charles, IL.)
http://www.umcs.maine.edu/%7Eftp/wisr/wg.html
Had a working group "The Need For Good Mental Models of Software Subsystems" that you
might find interesting reading. I'm still not exactly sure just what a "mental model"
is, but it did focus our discussion in many ways.
Derek's point about developers performing a great deal of "mental model" reuse is well
taken, along with the "hard work" aspect of creating new models. With that said I
would like to see an example with a bit more meat than the client/server
application. How about the mental model a user develops with regard to various
aspects of the Java technology?
Larry Latour
Derek M Jones <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>Ruven,
>
>>You might also find large differences in the same type of software across
>>different application domains.
>
>I think it will depend on the amount of experience the developer has
>had with each domain.
>
>>I can hardly image that the same mental
>>model would be used for a programmer writing a client/server application
>>for machines that package cereal as for a client/server application for
>>university students to select housing. (Well, given the functionality of some
>>of the apps I've seen, perhaps, there are some programmers who use the
>>same mental model for both.)
>
>I think software developers perform a lot of reuse of mental
>models. Creating a new mental model is hard work, why not try
>and fit a new problem into a known model. Over time developers
>learn or evolve new models, but this is a huge investment of effort.
>
>I know developers are supposed to switch mental models at the drop of
>a hat, and we are supposed to spend hours fine tuning our models
>of the application domain and how they are mapped to software.
>Outside of academic papers and popularising self improvement books
>I have never seen this happen.
>
>Life is too short, everybody satisfices. Customers can have any
>mental model as long as it's black.
>
>derek
>
>--
>Derek M Jones tel: +44 (0) 1252 520 667
>Knowledge Software Ltd mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Applications Standards Conformance Testing http://www.knosof.co.uk
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>PPIG Discuss List ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
>Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce
>PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/
-------------------------------------------
Larry Latour
Associate Professor of Computer Science
University of Maine
Tel: 207 581 3523, Fax: 207 581 4977
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PPIG Discuss List ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce
PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/
