Re: Object Oriented Analysis Is An Oxymoron

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

This probably differs from industry to industry, but in the
fields in which I have worked (semiconductors, biotech,
medical devices), the "functional description" is the
explanation of how something works, such as the 
interaction of X-Y positioning tables, chromatography
columns, quadrapoles, etc., while "theory of operation
is the explanation of *why* it works, such as the processes
of vapor deposition, chromatography or DNA sequencing.
"What it does" is usually relayed to the customer in a sales
brochure.

I will refrain from reopening the old "knowing too much"
argument.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sandy Harris" <sandy -at- storm -dot- ca>

> For a "theory of operation", that understanding is indeed
> necessary. For a functional description -- what it does
> rather than how it works -- it is largely irrelevant. In
> fact, in some cases knowing too much about the internals
> makes getting that sort of description harder.



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