SCOUG-SundialSIG Mailing List Archives

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Date:	Mon, 4 Jun 2001 18:25:59 PDT
From:	"Lynn H. Maxson" <lmaxson@pacbell.net >
Reply-To:	scoug-sundialsig@scoug.com
To:	< "scoug-sundialsig@scoug.com" > scoug-sundialsig@scoug.com >
Subject:	SCOUG-SundialSIG: June meeting

Content Type: text/plain

Peter Skye wrote:

"Yes, thank you Lynn, that's absolutely correct. I've heard some
people argue otherwise, but the language of a spreadsheet is a
method of executing an algorithm."

In short, programming. Probably ranks up there with other
non-programming languages like RPG. Whether or not you use
formulas (equations) the mere fact of doing a "cell layout" and
ordering rows and columns is a programming activity. To say you
don't do programming and yet do spreadsheets is a contradiction.
If you say you have no interest in programming and prefer using
spreadsheets, you are "conflicted".

With any kind of luck between now and Peter's presentation at our
meeting this month we will at least have defined a set of terms
(generalizations) associated with data, information, and
programming that we can then apply to MESA 2, DBExpert (or DB2),
and APL2 (or any programming language of choice).

Now I don't expect to hear a large outcry that we should join the
Programming SIG, but at least understand that we have something in
common. We will concentrate on programming in Sundial products.
I make the exception with APL2 because Iverson (its initial
author) intended it as a specification language to replace the
then popular flowcharting. Sometimes having two side-by-side
views of the same process leads to a more complete understanding
as well as increasing our conceptual comfort zone.

Also I hope it's obvious from the give and take here that we have
the experienced resources available to traverse any territory
sought by any member. Sometimes when a few of us dominate the
discussion it becomes a habit and even worse an expectation. The
truth is we have no other purpose than to assist and receive
assistance from other members.

As the titular leader of this group I cannot overemphasize the
importance of feedback, at least of the kind that says we are
offering something of interest and more importantly on track. It
doesn't have to be much, just enough to keep us from getting lost
in the woods.

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