Michael Kramer wrote:
>
> Watching this thread with great interest. One of the best discussions yet, my bias.
> Our inpatient order entry team is holding out for emerging devices. Being that we
>have 5 basic bottom line requirements, 800x600 screen, wireless, >6 hour battery
>life, 802.11a/b, HTML 4.0 and Java, there are likely to be many choices available by
>Fall 2001. If it only just fit in my pocket.
>
Well, your hardware requirements sound a lot like a PC. Now this does
not suprise me, but I have often claimed that intelligent devices must
be designed for specific tasks at hand. Since other folks started using
Martin Heidegger, I think I will too: Heidegger talks about a property
of tools called 'readiness to hand'. What he means is that the tool
must fit naturally into a human's task.* I take this to mean that we
need to build more purpose built devices and less general purpose
devices if the spread of information technology is to continue. I see
the momentum of the PDA's as evidence of this.
> One of the things that we are trying to avoid in the construction of the inpatient
>order entry project is the creation of multiple applications, one for each device.
>It is our hope that XSL or CSS especially if rendered on the server side would allow
>more flexibility whether the device is a palm pilot or a full web tablet.
>
I have been examining XSLT technologies and I think they are very useful
for transforming static content, but less useful for transforming
human-computer interaction. So if you are envisoning a primarily one
way flow of information, i.e. a publishing model using push for
instance, XSLT will work. However, if you are designing a highly
interactive system, I think it unavoidable that you create special UI
output modules. Now, if you are using the M-V-C paradigm, you don't
have to write a completely new application.
* For those interested in philosophical observations. This is my
interpretation from reading Heidegger. The most obvious starting place
is "The Question Concerning Technology". I found this on-line
translation, but it does not have my quoted phrase in it. However, it
does have a very interesting statement:
"Technology is therefore no mere means. Technology is a way of
revealing. If we give heed to this, then another whole realm for the
essence of technology will open itself up to us. It is the realm of
revealing, i.e., of truth."
see: http://www.ulla.mcgill.ca/arts150/arts150r2.htm
Actually, I see that some translate the phrase as 'ready-to-hand' and it
is dealt with extensively in 'Being and Time', Heideggers really big
work! But my interpretation of it's applicability to computer systems
is not unique, here is a view from an educational theorist:
http://www.alumni.engin.umich.edu/~jxm/doc/ted21.html
For those with a political/moral consciousness be sure to check into
Heidegger's relationship with the Nazi's.
