Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!tek From: tek@ms.uky.edu (Thomas Kunselman) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: reinventing the wheel (was Re: Software Tax: how and why?) Message-ID: <12439@s.ms.uky.edu> Date: 19 Aug 89 14:57:50 GMT References: <3674@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <4811@omepd.UUCP> Reply-To: tek@ms.uky.edu (Thomas Kunselman) Organization: U of Kentucky, Mathematical Sciences Lines: 31 Thought you all might be interested in this quote from a Scientific American article, August, 1989 V261 No.2, page 66 'The Metamorphosis of Information Management. Written by David Gelernter, an associate professor of computer science at Yale University. The quote: "...Processing large volumes of data in sophisticated ways might take weeks or months. "The increased computing power offered by parallel hardware offers some help, but a more important problem remains: building sophisticated software for information management is an inordinately complex task. Few organizations have the time and money, and even fewer the expertise, to do so. Most of the projects undertaken so far are at universities or other research institutions that lack the resources to turn their prototypes into finished, widely used systems. A Department of Public Software Works may ultimately be needed to build the massive information refineries the U.S. could use." Software development subsidy seems to be an idea that is getting more and more support. -- Thomas Kunselman {rutgers,uunet}!ukma!tek Office of Institutional Research bitnet: tek@ukma.bitnet Kentucky State University internet: tek@ms.uky.edu Frankfort, KY 40601 Educate, Don't Legislate!