(Long) Re: Autocoding project proposal.

[David Masterson]

>>>>> Timothy Rue writes:

> On 06-Feb-02 12:12:24 David Masterson <dmaster at synopsys.com> wrote:

>> That is putting the cart in front of the horse.  We cannot create a
>> tool to solve a problem until we know what the problem is.

> That's not true.  Not only has the problem been identified but it
> has been pointed out that it is not a simple one time
> problem/solution matter.

You *may* understand the problem -- we *DON'T* (at least not your
explanation of it).

> I have pointed out that programming is the act of automating
> complexity that is made up of simpler things, in order to make use
> of complexity simple for the users of that complexity.

Yes.  There are *MANY* computer related tools that do this (to one
degree or another) already.  We haven't figured out what makes your
approach any better or even any different.

> The problems is that there is no general automation tool oriented to
> all users. Yet the essence of programming boils down to two
> deminsional bit flipping.

Yes, but every time you add another "bit" to the problem, the problem
becomes an order of magnitude (base 2) harder.  Thus far, nobody has
determined the number of "bits" needed to represent all problems.

> I've identified and defined the tool and it's natural components.

> The problem is in getting an industry that has been programmed to
> depend on some level of manual control over what the users can and
> can't do, to let go of such control and make available such a
> natural automation tool as identified, so that the user can do
> things for themselves, rather than being dependant on the
> programmers and whether or not they have the resources to get a
> programmer to do what they need done.

Thus far, I see nothing "natural" in your approach.

> The problem is perhaps to prevasive for you to see?

Possibly.  I may have been in the "forest" for so long that all I can
see are "trees".  On the reverse side, perhaps you've been looking at
the "forest" for so long that you don't see how each "tree" has an
impact on it.

-- 
David Masterson                dmaster AT synopsys DOT com
Sr. R&D Engineer               Synopsys, Inc.
Software Engineering           Sunnyvale, CA