Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 04:08:57 -0700 | 03 00050 61 01071901 |
Garold L. Johnson
dynalt@dynalt.com
..
Subject: | SDS and KM |
Dear Gary,
I liked comments in
your letter
today about "your youth," because this
suggests you have experience, and that is essential for KM, at least my
approach to it.
..
SDS is my program, so I guess it is "proprietary." I have been seeking
alliance through Doug and his OHS/DKR team to advance SDS development. There
has been some interest by SRI, per my letter to
Pat Lincoln
the other day about
joining forces.
..
The OHS/DKR group itself is ad hoc, and has produced several sets of
requirements over the past 18 months. As mentioned in my letter to you a week
ago, Jack Park is a contributor who is writing some code. The record over the
past 5 years or so, indicates that KM is difficult to develop, which is noted
in your letter, as well.
..
In any case, I was attracted to your writing that shows strong insight about
key aspects of using technology productively to improve paperwork, which for
convenience, I call KM, explained in
POIMS.
..
SDS is a DOS program. A big idea that needs to be worked out is the
proposition that what we are after is improving the underlying building blocks
of doing knowledge work. We have the
alphabet
and mathematics, which includes
the concept of "time." SDS provides a composite technology that
integrates
time with information, so there is a stronger baseline from which to do all
other work. It is proposed that this step will
lift civilization
in like
manner that alphabet technology advanced civilization over the past 2,000
years to reach information technology.
I am not really a computer guy, but with luck and good fortune I
have patched something together that accomplishes this objective. I think of
the alphabet and mathematics as public utilities, and so eventually SDS is a
new utility that enables people to work from a much higher plan, which I
characterize as "knowledge" rather the current plane, which is "information"
supported by IT. Therefore, it is convenient to think in terms of moving from
IT to a
culture of knowledge.
..
I am looking for people and resources for thinking through and developing
a level of implementation for SDS that can provide stability needed for a truly
useful technology. Just as alphabet and mathematics technologies have been
stable, people need long term stability in underlying knowledge tools in order
to realize any actual improvement in productivity. The concept can be
described by the idea that SDS makes the computer an "operating system for
people and organizations," just as DOS, Windows and Unix are operating systems
for computers.
..
The fact that SDS is a DOS program places it at a more fundamental level,
than what seems to be the "flavor of the month" technologies that come go.
Doug pointed out in a brief discussion a month or so ago that SDS is
susceptible to bumbling in Redmond that would evolve support away from DOS.
So, the question remains how to accomplish the need for stability?
..
Hopefully, all this doesn't sound too silly. SDS itself is very real, and is
very effective for saving time and money on complex work. Naturally, I want to
monetize this.
..
If you have time, maybe we could talk by phone about your interests and
how SDS might be able to contribute. My number is 415 781 5700.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
THE WELCH COMPANY
Rod Welch
rowelch@attglobal.net