THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: June 20, 2001 11:41 PM Wednesday; Rod Welch

Lee Iverson submitted NODAL system to support collaboration.

1...Summary/Objective
................NODAL: A Network-Oriented Document
.....................Abstraction Language
........Table of contents lists....
2...Attribution Needs Links to Meet NODAL, ISO, Engelbart Requirements
3...History Augment NLS
4...Motivation - Collaboration is File Sharing Version Control
.....Microsoft Word Supports Collaboration and File Sharing
.....Change History Enables Control to Accept or Reject Revisions
.....Version Control Tracks Change History of Word Documents
.....Word Advantages for Collaboration
.....Word Problems
.....a...Hidden:
.....b...Bloat:
.........b...Email folders fill up with many versions of "shared" Word
.....Version Control Avoids Conflicting Changes Lee Develops CVS
.....Check In and Out Documents Avoids Conflicting Changes
.....CVS Discovers Conflicts Concurrently, Proactive Problem Handling
.....CVS Advantages
.....CVS Problems
.....Live Collaboration Not Supported by CVS
5...NODAL Introduction
6...CDR Solves Check In Out Problem, Similar to CDS
7...Collaborative Document Repository (CDR) Solves CVS Problems
8...NODAL Need Identified by Concensus on Design Principles
.....Document-Oriented:
..........Knowledge Management Requires More than Sharing Documents
.....Filesystem-Like:
.....Database-like Repository
.....Shared and Reusable:
.....Adaptable Interfaces:
.....Granular Interfaces:
.....Addressable and Linkable:
.....Synchronous and Asynchronous:
.....Live Collaboration Share Documents for Meetings Calls
.....Meetings Calls Integrated into Record of Live Collaboration
.....Versioned and Attributed:
.....Detailed History of Versions Attribution Builds Trust
.....Control of Security and Privacy:
.....NODAL: An Object-Oriented SQL for Documents
.....Automatically Manage Distributed Multi-user Change Tracking
.....Why Not Just XML?
.....Related Work Still Pending
.....Requirements Table
.......IO Interoperability
.......DS Distributed & Synchronized
.......ON Ontologies

ACTION ITEMS.................. Click here to comment!

1...Lee might set out some specific tasks to accomplish for moving
2...NODAL calls for an "audit trail", which is not defined.
3..."Knowledge" needs to be defined in order to assess how "file
4...Why is proactive problem handling only useful for documents
5...For whom is the NODAL and CDR proposal intended?
6...Is NODAL another way of saying Collaborative Document
7...Where is the record showing "consensus" was formed for a CDR
8...How are documents managed that are not for collaboration? Is
9...Where is this tenant established as an element of
10...Has anyone accomplished this capability?
11...What mechanism provides "automatic" and seamless integration
12...Need explanation of synchronous and asynchronous issues that
13...Where is the evidence supporting the proposition that
14...What effort is planned to balance risks of security against
15...Is Oracle creating all of this since they have the data base
16...Has any work been done to indicate one or several of these
17...How will NODAL automatically manage distributed, multi-user
18...Where is the record of work building concensus, per above?
19...When will links be provided; none are available today?
20...This is not discussed anywhere else. Jack seems to be
21...Eric's CDS specs v0.6 reviewed on 000601 has some
22...What is an "ontology" and how does it relate to CVS document
23...Eric's CDS specs v0.6 reviewed on 000601 has some material

CONTACTS 
0201 - SRI International                    650 326 6200
020101 - Mr. Lee Iverson
020102 - leei@ai.sri.com

SUBJECTS
Doc Log Tracks Accountability Version Control Communication
Engineering Management Technology Chip Design, Software
Ubiquitous Collaboration Paper Explains Goals of OHS/DKR Project
NODAL Technology for Collaboration OHS/DKR Provides Version Control
Collaboration, Core Capability DKR - Email, Eric, 000505
NODAL Published for Comments
NODAL Technology for Collaboration OHS/DKR Provides Version Control
Version Control Multiple People Working on Same Document File, Morris

2410 -    ..
2411 - Summary/Objective
2412 -
241201 - Follow up ref SDS 76 0000, ref SDS 75 0000.
241202 -
241203 - To "kickstart" progress on OHS/DKR, Lee submits draft requirements for
241204 - NODAL to manage documents with better version control. ref SDS 0 UG6H
241205 - One advantage may be a better CVS capability so that software
241206 - engineers can work simultaneously on the same code without causing
241207 - problems of compound changes. ref SDS 0 0157  NODAL is planned to
241208 - enable a Collaborative Docuemnt Repository (CDR), which has many of
241209 - the features Eric Armstrong listed for Collaborative Document System
241210 - (CDS) as a step toward Doug's goal of a DKR. ref SDS 0 497M  Lee
241211 - mentions using NODAL and/or CDR to manage meetings, calls and other
241212 - work in addition to documents, ref SDS 0 655K, and sets objectives for
241213 - improving XML. ref SDS 0 01V9  Attribution may need greater attention
241214 - in the NODAL work up. ref SDS 0 6Z6N  NODAL is designed to improve
241215 - collaboration based on Lee's earlier paper "Ubiquitous Collaboration,"
241216 - which sets a goal to improve email.
241217 -
241218 -      [On 010723 Eric Armstrong comments favorably on NODAL.
241219 -      ref SDS 80 0001
241220 -
241221 -
241222 -
241224 -  ..
2413 -
2414 -
2415 - Progress
2416 -
241601 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 from Lee Iverson at SRI saying.....
241602 -
241603 -    I've finally completed the first draft of my white paper on the
241604 -    NODAL system.  I'm ready to release it for comment, but not general
241605 -    attribution.  General discussion is appropriate for the unrev-ii
241606 -    list, but direct any specific comments to me....
241607 -
241608 -          leei@ai.sri.com
241609 -
241610 -    ....or the NODAL discussion list at....
241611 -
241612 -          nodal@yahoogroups.com
241614 -  ..
241615 - Lee says....
241616 -
241617 -    The white paper can be accessed at:
241618 -
241619 -        http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/OHS
241621 -     ..
241622 -    Hope this kickstarts something.
241623 -
241624 -       Lee might set out some specific tasks to accomplish for moving
241625 -       from ideas to requirements, planning, feasibility, architecture,
241626 -       product, and then to deployment.   How many years will this
241627 -       system require to field?  Is phased development being
241628 -       considered; what will be the scope of phase 1, 2, etc.
241629 -
241631 -  ..
241632 - Lee's letter references another Internet address that has the
241633 - title....
241634 -
241635 -
241636 -                NODAL: A Network-Oriented Document
241637 -                     Abstraction Language
241638 -
241639 -
241640 - ....and is appended to his transmittal letter for convenience.
241641 - ref DRT 1 0002.
241643 -  ..
241644 - NODAL is described....
241645 -
241646 -        NODAL (Network-Oriented Document Abstraction Language) is a
241647 -        proposal for a new infrastructure and model for building
241648 -        collaborative applications.  The two documents below represent
241649 -        a high level description (the white paper) and more detailed
241650 -        discussion of some of the API building blocks for the system.
241651 -        ref DRT 1 00ZZ
241653 -            ..
241654 -           What is a collaborative application?
241655 -
241656 -           What is a non-collaborative application?
241658 -            ..
241659 -           Below, Lee seems to propose that NODAL and CDR will aid
241660 -           meetings and phone calls, probably because these tasks arise
241661 -           in collaboration. ref SDS 0 655K How do these tasks relate
241662 -           to a document abstraction language, that is concerned about
241663 -           where things are filed, file locking, document check in and
241664 -           check out?
241665 -
241667 -  ..
241668 - Two (2) papers are listed....
241669 -
241670 -    1.  NODAL: A System for Ubiquitous Collaboration. ref OF 7 0001
241672 -         ..
241673 -        Original Source is at....
241674 -
241675 -           http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/OHS/NODAL-WhitePaper.htm
241676 -
241678 -         ..
241679 -    2.  NODAL: A Network-Oriented Document Abstraction Language
241680 -
241681 -        This has 9 pages or so.  The title page, ref OF 9 0001, is
241682 -        at....
241683 -
241684 -           http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/OHS/nodal/
241686 -         ..
241687 -        OHS Design Group is shown as Lee Iverson's association at SRI,
241688 -        although SRI is not mentioned per se.
241690 -         ..
241691 -        Table of contents lists....
241692 -
241693 -            Motivation........................... ref SDS 0 U78K
241694 -            Introduction......................... ref SDS 0 ML5H
241695 -            Top Level............................
241696 -            Document Modeling....................
241697 -            Navigation & Editing.................
241698 -            Medadata.............................
241699 -            Security.............................
241700 -            Communication & Storage..............
241701 -
241702 -
241703 -
241704 -
2418 -

SUBJECTS
History Engelbart, Augment OHS, Lee Iverson Attribution NODAL CDR
CDR Proposed by Lee Iverson Similar CDS Proposed by Eric Armstrong
Augment NLS History, Lee Iverson Attribution for NODAL, CDR
Attribution Fails to Meet NODAL ISO Engelbart Requirements
Engelbart Mouse Augment, SRI, 010210

350801 -  ..
350802 - Attribution Needs Links to Meet NODAL, ISO, Engelbart Requirements
350803 -
350804 - Lee gives general attribution at this location to.....
350805 -
350806 -    ....Doug Engelbart, Eric Armstrong, Eugene Kim, Jack Park, and
350807 -    everyone else who has been participating in the OHS discussions
350808 -    both at SRI and online.  I hope I've done justice to the ideas that
350809 -    have been distributed in those forums. ref DRT 1 01UZ
350811 -         ..
350812 -        NODAL calls for an "audit trail", which is not defined.
350813 -        ref SDS 0 4W6L  Audit trail is commonly used in accounting to
350814 -        track the history of activity for specific scope of work,
350815 -        summarized as an "account" or "subject."  ISO criteria calls
350816 -        out this capability for effective management under "tracability
350817 -        to original sources," reviewed on 950721. ref SDS 1 1740
350819 -         ..
350820 -        Attribution under NODAL standards requires an explanation of
350821 -        the source for ideas, and a link, if available. , ref SDS 0
350822 -        659G, For example, Doug's key papers are on the Bootstrap
350823 -        Institute web site, and some have been reviewed....
350824 -
350825 -             991222.............................. ref SDS 4 OS8M
350827 -         ..
350828 -        The citation for Doug's award of the National Medal of
350829 -        Technology is on the Internet, reported 001114. ref SDS 46 0001
350831 -         ..
350832 -        Eric Armstrong's CDS specs are on the Internet reported on...
350833 -
350834 -             000505.................... ref SDS 25 0001
350835 -             000601.................... ref SDS 33 0001
350836 -             000614.................... ref SDS 34 0001
350838 -         ..
350839 -        Eugnee Kim's ideas for a DKR are on the Internet reported on
350840 -        000504. ref SDS 24 0001
350842 -         ..
350843 -        Jack Park's ideas are on the Internet reported on.....
350844 -
350845 -             000503.................... ref SDS 23 3M6H
350846 -             000623.................... ref SDS 35 9900
350847 -             001130.................... ref SDS 47 0001
350848 -             010223.................... ref SDS 53 0001
350849 -             010316.................... ref SDS 55 0001
350851 -         ..
350852 -        Meetings by OHS/DKR are on the Internet, and listed in the
350853 -        record for the meeting on 001017. ref SDS 43 1575
350854 -
350855 -            Ostensibly meetings occurred to collaborate; it should be
350856 -            expected, given the enormous attention focused on
350857 -            collaboration, that this activity would yield at least one
350858 -            or two ideas for improving collaboration, since that was
350859 -            the purpose for the meetings.
350860 -            ..
350861 -            If not, then this fact should be cited as the basis
350862 -            for developing better methods for collaboration.
350864 -         ..
350865 -        On 001025 Doug published OHS Launch plan. ref SDS 45 G3W8
350866 -
350867 -        On 001025 Doug expressly requested that contributors link their
350868 -        work, like Lee's submission today, to the project record.
350869 -        ref SDS 45 00VU
350870 -
350871 -            Therefore, NODAL appears self-defeating, and misleading in
350872 -            not providing a minimal body of links showing original
350873 -            sources for ideas, within the meaning of "attribution."
350874 -
350875 -
350877 -  ..
350878 - History Augment NLS
350879 -
350880 - Lee's paper "Ubiquitous Collaboration" has a good explanation for
350881 - history of Augment NLS developed under Doug Engelbart's management.
350882 - ref OF 7 03I1
350884 -  ..
350885 - This supplements prior reports on....
350886 -
350887 -        Doug Engelbart's accomplishments..... 000223, ref SDS 9 9076
350888 -        Augmenting human intellect........... 000825, ref SDS 41 4T3N
350890 -  ..
350891 - Consideration should be given to linking this into the Motivation or
350892 - Introduction of NODAL.
350893 -
350894 -           [On 011213 Terry Winograd at Stanford points out that SDS
350895 -           seems like Doug's NLS system. ref SDS 82 6P4M
350896 -
350897 -
350898 -
350899 -
350900 -
350901 -
3510 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Collaboration Basic Need
File Sharing Cumbersome Create Documents Accumulate Group Knowledge
Granularity Data Access Fundamental Collaboration Issues
Granular Addressability Requirement

400801 -  ..
400802 - Motivation - Collaboration is File Sharing Version Control
400803 -
400804 - Section 2, ref OF 10 0001, is located at....
400805 -
400806 -
400807 -            http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/OHS/nodal/motive.html
400808 -
400810 -  ..
400811 - Collaboration is a Basic Need
400812 -
400813 -     One of the most fundamental barriers to collaboration between both
400814 -     users and applications is the granularity of data access.  File
400815 -     systems organize information in directories of "files". Sharing
400816 -     files is a simple process of placing them on a networked file
400817 -     system or simply sending them to a group via electronic mail or
400818 -     some other message passing system. This model assumes either that
400819 -     files change rarely or that they have single authors or both.
400820 -     Sometimes file sharing is augmented or replaced with email
400821 -     attachments. ref OF 10 00SY
400823 -          ..
400824 -         Below, Lee says collective intelligence improves productivity,
400825 -         in his paper "Ubiquitous Collaboration". ref SDS 0 03HQ
400826 -
400827 -         Below, Lee seems to describe granular data access as
400828 -         addressability and linkable. ref SDS 0 LH5J
400830 -          ..
400831 -         File sharing reflects collaboration by many people creating a
400832 -         common file, rather than submitting contributions which are
400833 -         then incorporated by a decision maker; Lee says this
400834 -         traditional method is cumbersome.
400836 -      ..
400837 -     What happens however when we try to use this shared file and email
400838 -     approach to collaboratively create documents or accumulate group
400839 -     knowledge?  Quite simply, a difficult, cumbersome process.
400840 -     ref OF 10 00U1
400841 -
400842 -         This seems to be the concern Morris raised on 010614.
400843 -         ref SDS 75 RW5F
400845 -          ..
400846 -         On 010605 in a meeting at SRI Ted Nelson reported progress on
400847 -         this objective. ref SDS 70 8H4H
400849 -          ..
400850 -         "Knowledge" needs to be defined in order to assess how "file
400851 -         sharing" accumulates it.
400853 -          ..
400854 -         On 000503 Eric Armstrong decided to avoid using "knowledge,"
400855 -         because he recognized that "collaboration" to prepare a
400856 -         document, which is useful, may not be an effective usage for
400857 -         "knowledge." ref SDS 23 5033
400858 -
400859 -
400860 -
400861 -
400862 -
4009 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
MS Word Multiple Users Exchange Edit Documents File Sharing
Word Change History Version Control CVS
Versioning Docs Editing Many People Requires Transition Culture of Kn
Collaboration Goal Enterprise/Knowledge Management Does Not Improve P
Word Supports CVS Version Control Change History, Lee Iverson, SRI

490901 -      ..
490902 -     Microsoft Word Supports Collaboration and File Sharing
490903 -     Change History Enables Control to Accept or Reject Revisions
490904 -     Version Control Tracks Change History of Word Documents
490905 -
490906 -
490907 - Lee says....
490908 -
490909 -     Microsoft Word allows people to exchange and edit documents; a
490910 -     user sends a document to another user who edits (or reviews) it
490911 -     and sends it back.  Word documents contain a change history which
490912 -     may be navigated by the first user (the change integrator) and
490913 -     individual changes made by the other user may be approved or
490914 -     rejected via a GUI interface. ref OF 10 147J
490916 -           ..
490917 -          How is notice conveyed about changes?
490918 -
490919 -          How is context of proposed changes managed?
490920 -
490921 -            "Context" is an explanation of history and analysis that
490922 -            support proposing a change.
490924 -             ..
490925 -            Suppose somebody proposes inserting an "a" between two
490926 -            words, then changes to an "or" then to "and/or".  Somebody
490927 -            else adds a few words, and somebody else suggests adding a
490928 -            paragraph between two words, while another change is
490929 -            proposed of deleting the entire mess.
490931 -             ..
490932 -            How does the GUI approval mechanism in Word, enable the
490933 -            author to assess the proposed ideas, and record the
490934 -            reasoning for the decision about what is finally said,
490935 -            since most likely, it will be different from what everyone
490936 -            proposes, but will have been influenced in various ways?
490937 -
490939 -      ..
490940 -     Word Advantages for Collaboration
490941 -
490942 -
490943 -         Integrated:
490944 -
490945 -         The version tracking is completely integrated into the
490946 -         document and application, so a user need learn no other tools
490947 -         than the additional menu entries provided by the Version
490948 -         Control submenu. ref OF 10 005U
490949 -
490950 -
490951 -
490952 -
490953 -
4910 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Problems Hidden Security Problem Unskilled Word Users Distribute Vers
Word Problems Collaboration Needs Better Technology, Lee Iverson, 010
Hidden, Lee Iverson, SRI

530701 -      ..
530702 -     Word Problems
530703 -
530704 -
530705 -     a.  Hidden:
530706 -
530707 -         Since all of the oustanding version history is stored in the
530708 -         document itself, many users not familiar with the details of
530709 -         the Version Control toolbox are unaware that this content is
530710 -         still available in their file. This is a huge information
530711 -         security hole and has been anecdotally responsible for
530712 -         significant problems when "uncleaned" files are passed on or
530713 -         delivered to outsiders. ref OF 10 006T
530714 -
530715 -            Tried an experiment using Word.  Created a document, then
530716 -            saved it.  Made a few changes and saved it again.  Found
530717 -            "Version" in the File menu.
530719 -             ..
530720 -            On 010418 Gary Johnson related weaknesses of wordprocessing
530721 -            that require a solution in order to accomplish knowledge
530722 -            management. ref SDS 59 9H8H
530723 -
530724 -
530725 -
530726 -
530727 -
530728 -
530729 -
530730 -
530731 -
5308 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Problem Bloat Version Control Change History Becomes Large Even for S
Problem Email Folders Become Bloated Storing Multiple Versions of Sha

590601 -          ..
590602 -     b.  Bloat:
590603 -
590604 -         a.  Word documents (especially single user documents) can
590605 -             become quite large even when their immediately visible
590606 -             content is fairly small, simply because of the change
590607 -             history being carried around. ref OF 10 0074
590609 -              ..
590610 -         b.  Email folders fill up with many versions of "shared" Word
590611 -             documents as they are passed around for editing or for
590612 -             integration of contributions. Since one often wants to
590613 -             retain a record of the reasons for changes, these emails
590614 -             are often kept in mail folders to provide a trace of the
590615 -             document history.  This behaviour, which Word docs
590616 -             explicitly recommend, can lead to an enormous waste of
590617 -             file system resources on Word attachements in mail
590618 -             folders. ref OF 10 185K
590620 -                 ..
590621 -                A 46 GB hard disk costs $200 - $300, so storage is not
590622 -                a big problem.  Transferring a lot of files over and
590623 -                over again takes a lot of time.  However, hardware is
590624 -                getting faster, so this may not be a big issue.  If 10
590625 -                people are transferring 60 GB several times a day, this
590626 -                could add up to maybe an extra hour.  The direct lost
590627 -                time is not a significant cost, but the crowding out of
590628 -                other activity can be.
590630 -                 ..
590631 -                Using email to understand the reasons for making
590632 -                changes is not effective, because email is a cursory,
590633 -                stream-of-conscous rendering that does not provide
590634 -                context necessary to maintain meaning over time, and so
590635 -                contributes to meaning drift, explained in POIMS.
590636 -                ref OF 2 084J
590637 -
590638 -
590639 -
590640 -
5907 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Problem Asynchronous Live Document Sharing Not Supported

680501 -          ..
680502 -     c.  Asynchronous:
680503 -
680504 -         Clearly the model does not allow for live document sharing
680505 -         between users, with an email exchange or shared file system
680506 -         store required as part of any exhange of information.
680507 -         ref OF 10 0091
680508 -
680509 -
6806 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Problem Word Requires People Management Skills to Collaborate Can Loc

730501 -          ..
730502 -     d.  Ad Hoc:
730503 -
730504 -         Clearly people-management skills must be an integral part of
730505 -         any attempt to use Word as a basis for collaboration as it
730506 -         provides no support for anything other than a single user as
730507 -         change integrator.  It does provide some ability to enforce
730508 -         this strategy by allowing that user to "lock" the document and
730509 -         require others to submit "review" comments instead of actual
730510 -         edits, but that can quickly become cumbersome as well.
730511 -         ref OF 10 I46O
730513 -              ..
730514 -             Management is inherently "cumbersome" because it requires
730515 -             leadership that deals with emotions that resist change and
730516 -             accountability, and memory and intellect with strives to
730517 -             be accurate and creative.
730519 -              ..
730520 -             Collaboration requires people skills.
730521 -
730522 -             Incorporating comments into the work is not "cumbersome,"
730523 -             it is a core responsibility of engineering and management.
730524 -
730525 -
730526 -
730527 -
730528 -
7306 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Concurrent Version System CVS Improved Revision Control System RCS
Document Management Version Control Multiple People Working on Same F
Document Management Log Writing Managment Correspondence
Version Control Document Management Lawyers Engineers Contracts Specs
Concurrent Version Control Discovers Conflicts Before Mistakes Caused
Version Control Change History MS Word Groupware
CVS Current Version Control Enables Many Engineers to Work on Same Co
Groupware Check Out In Version Control Change History MS Word

821201 -  ..
821202 - Lee continues....
821203 -      ..
821204 -     Version Control Avoids Conflicting Changes Lee Develops CVS
821205 -     Check In and Out Documents Avoids Conflicting Changes
821206 -     CVS Discovers Conflicts Concurrently, Proactive Problem Handling
821207 -
821208 -     Concurrent Version System (CVS) was developed as a response to
821209 -     problems perceived by distributed groups of developers when using
821210 -     the Revision Control System (RCS) for collaborative software
821211 -     development (using plain text files). ref OF 10 0106
821212 -
821213 -         Jack Park reported on 010618 that Nexist supports version
821214 -         control. ref SDS 76 K67N
821216 -          ..
821217 -         NODAL is a relational data base that does CVS for XML, per
821218 -         below. ref SDS 0 0157
821219 -
821220 -            [On 010623 reviewed version control with Morris.
821221 -            ref SDS 79 VO4H
821223 -      ..
821224 -     RCS maintained the integrity of its version control by requiring
821225 -     users to check out files in the repository, modify them and then
821226 -     check them back in.  While a file was checked out by one user, it
821227 -     was unavailable for modification by other developers (locked). In
821228 -     many kinds of scenarios, especially software development, a single
821229 -     developer may need to change many files in concert before a new
821230 -     consistent (and thus check-in-able) state is achieved. Locking all
821231 -     of these files while this one developer is attempting to attain
821232 -     consistency is untenable as soon as more than two or three
821233 -     developers are working on a single project. ref OF 10 CH4M
821235 -          ..
821236 -         Concurrent Discovery was proposed on 960620 to solve a similar
821237 -         problem of people not discovering errors of meaning drift
821238 -         until after time and money was lost, and a lawyer discovers
821239 -         lack of alignment by comparing documents, testimony and
821240 -         conduct. ref SDS 2 8400  SDS empowers proactive problem
821241 -         handling so people discover little deviations in all work
821242 -         activity, before mistakes actually occur, as CVS strives to do
821243 -         with documents for software programming.
821245 -          ..
821246 -         Why is good management that avoids mistakes untenable to use
821247 -         the "comment review and incorporate" process explained above
821248 -         under "Ad Hoc"? ref SDS 0 BW5I
821250 -          ..
821251 -         Maintain a master set of code, with one person in charge,
821252 -         e.g., a project manager, or team leader, CEO, etc.
821254 -          ..
821255 -         2, 100 or 1000, people work on developing code to accomplish
821256 -         various aspects of software capability, using their own set of
821257 -         the master code.  They submit their work product for
821258 -         consideration to incorporate into the master set based on WBS
821259 -         work package scope, and other detailed identification.
821260 -
821261 -             [On 010623 Millie indicated this is pretty close to the
821262 -             process people try to use in legal work. ref SDS 79 VH9H
821264 -          ..
821265 -         There is an ongoing task to assess and approve submissions of
821266 -         work product in the master set, based on notice from
821267 -         contributors of changes, inspection of changes for conflicts,
821268 -         notice to other contributors for comment on changes, and test
821269 -         runs of an updated master set.  Conflicts are identified and
821270 -         resolved by individuals or groups.  The actual master set is
821271 -         still unchanged.
821273 -          ..
821274 -         Once changes have been incorporated successfully, a new master
821275 -         set version is established, and distributed.
821277 -          ..
821278 -         Other contributors are then on notice to conform their work
821279 -         to the new master set.
821281 -          ..
821282 -         There is a law of diminishing returns that causes overcrowding
821283 -         to reduce productivity.  This means multiple programmers
821284 -         working on the same code at the same time will be expensive.
821286 -          ..
821287 -         Isn't this a desire to have 2 or 100 people make simultaneous
821288 -         changes that are all compatible.  What study shows that
821289 -         attempts to make parallel changes using check in and check out
821290 -         is more productive than making serial changes on blocks of
821291 -         discrete work?
821293 -      ..
821294 -     CVS solves this problem by removing the locking requirement and
821295 -     allowing multiple users to all be editing the same set of files
821296 -     simultaneously.  Users maintain local versions of the repository
821297 -     and make changes as they wish.  A user occassionally "updates" his
821298 -     local copy by asking CVS to apply those changes made by other
821299 -     users to his local copy. This may lead to conflicts, in which a
821300 -     section of a file which the user has modified has also been
821301 -     modified by someone else.  It is then up to the user to resolve
821302 -     these conflicts be editing with a text editor. ref OF 10 01RU
821304 -      ..
821305 -     When checking changes back in to the repository, a user must first
821306 -     "update" after which an automatic process detects the changes made
821307 -     to a particular file and then sends these to the repository, which
821308 -     updates its database. ref OF 10 0136
821309 -
821310 -         Why is proactive problem handling only useful for documents
821311 -         created for writing software?  SDS enables concurrent
821312 -         discovery and correction to save time and money for all work
821313 -         activity.
821315 -          ..
821316 -         This sounds like another one of Bill's attempts to
821317 -         automatically think for people that only works 80% to 90% of
821318 -         the time, and so causes problems 10% to 20% of the time.
821320 -          ..
821321 -         On 001207 Reuters reported too many people having too many
821322 -         problems cause productivity, earnings and stock prices to
821323 -         fall. ref SDS 48 V54M
821324 -
821326 -      ..
821327 -     CVS Advantages
821328 -
821329 -     Locking:
821330 -
821331 -        CVS identified the clear problem posed by locking when multiple
821332 -        files are being shared by multiple users. ref OF 10 LJ7I
821333 -
821334 -     Flexible security:
821335 -
821336 -        The CVS repository is accessible in a number of different ways,
821337 -        including via password-protected network channels and
821338 -        SSH-secured logins.  Moreover, read and write access can be
821339 -        controlled independently, although not granularly. ref OF 10
821340 -        3K8F
821341 -
821342 -
8214 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Motivation
Problems CVS Text Files Only
Problems CVS Line Oriented
Problems CVS Useless for Web Development
Problems CVS Collaboration Simultaneous Editing Not Supported

880801 -      ..
880802 -     CVS Problems
880803 -     Live Collaboration Not Supported by CVS
880804 -
880805 -     Text files only:
880806 -
880807 -        While CVS does handle non-text files, it does so by treating
880808 -        them as unitary data items doesn't track differences at all.
880809 -        ref OF 10 01U3
880811 -      ..
880812 -     Line oriented:
880813 -
880814 -        The algorithms that CVS uses to determine the differences
880815 -        between versions of a file are not exact and flag blocks of
880816 -        lines which have changed. This leaves the system very sensitive
880817 -        to changes in formatting or layout of structured text files. It
880818 -        is thus almost completely useless for Web development if any of
880819 -        the users adopts editing tools which don't maintain
880820 -        "extraneous" text formatting information (e.g. virtually any
880821 -        structured XML or HTML editor). ref OF 10 GL9K
880822 -
880823 -             [...below, NODAL automatically manages change history for
880824 -             XML and structured stuff needed for Internet. ref SDS 0
880825 -             0157
880827 -      ..
880828 -     Not quite live:
880829 -
880830 -        Since the notification methods that CVS uses are completely
880831 -        ad-hoc and asynchronous, it cannot be used for live
880832 -        collaboration at all.  Moreover, even within its asynchronous
880833 -        model, conflict management and workflow management remain big
880834 -        problems. ref OF 10 01W0
880835 -
880836 -           [...below, synchronous and asnychronous capability somehow
880837 -           supports meetings and calls. ref SDS 0 655K
880839 -      ..
880840 -     A New Model for Collaborative Work
880841 -
880842 -        This is explained in the introduction, section 3. ref SDS 0
880843 -        ML5H
880844 -
880845 -
880846 -
880847 -
8809 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
NODAL New Data Base Language Standard Language Independent API
Document Oriented Data Modeling Language NODAL
Addressable Navigable Object Hierarchy NODAL
Extensible Security Model

930801 -  ..
930802 - NODAL Introduction
930803 - CDR Solves Check In Out Problem, Similar to CDS
930804 -
930805 - Section 3, ref OF 11 0001, is located at....
930806 -
930807 -
930808 -            http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/OHS/nodal/intro.html
930810 -  ..
930811 - Lee says NODAL is ....
930812 -
930813 -       ....a new kind of database language which has a standard,
930814 -       language-independent API, a document-oriented data modelling
930815 -       language, a fully addressable and navigable object heirarchy,
930816 -       and an extensible security model. In the next section we will
930817 -       propose just such an architecture. ref OF 11 VL4K
930818 -
930819 -           For whom is the NODAL and CDR proposal intended?
930821 -            ..
930822 -           What is the market for this capability; who will buy a
930823 -           product and in what quantity?  Eric wrote a proposal on
930824 -           000505 with subsequent revisions that is largely what Lee is
930825 -           proposing today.  Nothing has occurred over the ensuing 12
930826 -           months, except to publish the proposal again.
930828 -            ..
930829 -           Looking more closely, is the NODAL and CDR proposal aimed at
930830 -           improving software engineering, i.e., to improve CVS by
930831 -           solving problems of file sharing set out in Lees work
930832 -           product today? ref SDS 0 01U3
930834 -            ..
930835 -           Or, is the proposal for NODAL and CDR intended to draw
930836 -           general principles from lessons learned performing software
930837 -           programming that can be implemented with technology, skills
930838 -           and roles that improve everybody's work?  For example, CVS
930839 -           provides concurrent version control that ensures work files
930840 -           are aligned, so that mistakes are avoided in software
930841 -           programming.  As noted on 960620 management standards call
930842 -           for leadership to align people through communication.  Will
930843 -           Lee's plan for stronger metrics to improve software, support
930844 -           a more general application of Communication Metrics that
930845 -           improves software and everything else? ref SDS 2 8004
930847 -            ..
930848 -           Is this why meetings and calls are cited as targets of the
930849 -           proposal? ref SDS 0 655K
930851 -            ..
930852 -           Does everybody want to improve their work, or are people
930853 -           happy to make a living with the skills they already have?
930855 -            ..
930856 -           Do software engineers, or anybody else, want meetings and
930857 -           calls improved, or do people prefer to simply show up and
930858 -           work from memory, because that is fast and easy?  Is this
930859 -           why improving 80% of the work that occurs in meetings and
930860 -           calls is proposed under an inocuous heading, rather than
930861 -           presented as an opportunity to augment intelligence that can
930862 -           lift civilization.
930863 -
930864 -
930865 -
930866 -
930867 -
930868 -
9309 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Need for NODAL Determined by Concensus
NODAL New Data Base Language to Improve Collabortion by Solving Probl
Collaborative Document Repository CDR NODAL New Data Base Language to
NODAL CDR OHS Program Being Developed by SRI, 010620

960801 -  ..
960802 - Collaborative Document Repository (CDR) Solves CVS Problems
960803 - NODAL Need Identified by Concensus on Design Principles
960804 -
960805 - Lee says the need from above analysis, ref SDS 0 BW7H, for a new kind
960806 - of data base language was identified.....
960807 -
960808 -     Through years of discussion and months of consensus building
960809 -     within Doug Engelbart's Open Hyperdocument System meeting groups,
960810 -     we have developed a consensus on a certain set of design
960811 -     principles for a collaborative document repository. ref OF 11 00SV
960813 -          ..
960814 -         Is NODAL another way of saying Collaborative Document
960815 -         Repository (which sounds like Doug's DKR)?  Or, is NODAL a set
960816 -         of new tools for building a CDR?  In other words, is SRI
960817 -         planning to build two things or just one?  This may impact
960818 -         time and cost and therefore feasibility of the project.
960819 -
960820 -              [...below, Lee explains collaboration from meetings and
960821 -              email is included, his paper on Ubiquitous Collaboration
960822 -              is reviewed. ref SDS 0 655K
960824 -          ..
960825 -         Where is the record showing "consensus" was formed for a CDR
960826 -         to implement OHS/DKR?
960827 -
960828 -              [...below, Lee makes this claim again. ref SDS 0 O66M
960829 -
960830 -         On 000503 Eric reported there has been fundamental
960831 -         disagreement about objectives of OHS project. ref SDS 23 0672
960833 -          ..
960834 -         Eric proposes producing a document management system, and
960835 -         deferring work on "knowledge" management. ref SDS 23 5033
960837 -          ..
960838 -         Jack Park wants an AI-style capability, ref SDS 23 3M6H, and
960839 -         cites Knowledge Space, as meeting this objective. ref SDS 23
960840 -         6138
960842 -          ..
960843 -         On 000505 Eric proposed requirements for a.....
960844 -
960845 -                    ..
960846 -                    Collaborative Document System (CDS)
960847 -
960848 -
960849 -         ...which sounds like Lee's idea today. ref SDS 25 0001  Eric
960850 -         identified this submission as version 0.5, even though the
960851 -         letter on 000505 appears to be the first time CDS appears in
960852 -         the record.  This work extended prior 4 or 5 prior similar
960853 -         submissions, beginning on 000125, ref SDS 6 3867, but none of
960854 -         the pior work was identified as DCS, as seen from the record
960855 -         on 000423. ref SDS 19 6306
960857 -          ..
960858 -         On 000824 Eric reported Doug wants a system like SDS,
960859 -         ref SDS 40 PU5N, and cited lack of concensus on the value of
960860 -         archives. ref SDS 40 FJ5H
960862 -             ..
960863 -            Where in the record was concensus reached on this?
960865 -          ..
960866 -         On 001025 Doug submitted requirements for OHS Launch and
960867 -         identified a lot of requirements. ref SDS 45 G3W8
960868 -
960869 -            Where are Doug's ideas on 001025 incorporated into CDR
960870 -            and/or NODAL?
960871 -
960872 -            For example, Doug calls for....
960873 -
960874 -               Transcoding for multiple views. ref SDS 45 D6H8
960876 -                ..
960877 -               Community-development processes will start the active
960878 -               "co-evolution" of the "Human System" and the OHS "Tool
960879 -               System". ref SDS 45 KR8W
960881 -                ..
960882 -               Immensely; motivated individuals becoming a
960883 -               certified Class-4B Knowledge Integrator. ref SDS 45 8094
960885 -             ..
960886 -            Where is this discussed in NODAL and CDR?  Where is the
960887 -            record showing concensus?
960889 -             ..
960890 -            If there is no record of concensus, why make the claim,
960891 -            since NODAL and CDR must be assessed by the merits,
960892 -            regardless of concnesus?
960894 -          ..
960895 -         How are documents managed that are not for collaboration?  Is
960896 -         everything thrown into a single system, or does the CDR only
960897 -         have documents used for collaboration?
960899 -          ..
960900 -         If the system is intended to be comprehensive, then isn't
960901 -         "collaborative" misleading and unnnecessary?  The alphabet is
960902 -         not generally described as a "collaborative Information
960903 -         Technology (CIT), we simply say it is an Information
960904 -         Technology, because IT supports collaboration and everything
960905 -         else.
960906 -
960907 -
960908 -
960909 -
960910 -
960911 -
9610 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Document Oriented
Core Capability DKR Documents
NODAL CDR, Lee Iversion
OHS CDS Collaborative Document System DKR, Eric, 000505

A508 -   ..
A50801 - Lee continues....
A50802 -
A50803 -     It must be:
A50805 -      ..
A50806 -     Document-Oriented:
A50807 -
A50808 -     We start from a point-of-view in which we want to support the
A50809 -     sharing and interchange of hyperlinked documents. Traditionally,
A50810 -     this means SGML, HTML and XML, so support for those standards is a
A50811 -     minimum.  However, the ubiquity of Microsoft Word and the Office
A50812 -     toolset suggests that we want to support their data formats as
A50813 -     well.  Consider also plain text documents, and various multimedia
A50814 -     types such as images, audio and video formats. Supporting
A50815 -     "documents" begins to appear as if it is a general data modeling
A50816 -     problem. ref OF 11 YO6G
A50817 -
A50818 -          On 000120 Eric Armstrong proposed an architecture for OHS/DKR
A50819 -          to improve document management and email. ref SDS 5 3871
A50820 -          ..
A50821 -          On 000125 Eric submitted initial requirements improving
A50822 -          document management, citing XML as a proposed feature.
A50823 -          ref SDS 6 3867
A50824 -
A50825 -          On 000505 Eric submits details for Collaborative Document
A50826 -          System (CDS). ref SDS 25 0001
A50827 -
A50828 -          On 000208 Eric Armstrong asked about the point of view for
A50829 -          developing OHS/DKR. ref SDS 7 0001
A50830 -
A50831 -          On 010522 Lee discussed plans to improve email. ref SDS 68
A50832 -          RJ3K
A50833 -
A50835 -           ..
A50836 -          Knowledge Management Requires More than Sharing Documents
A50837 -
A50838 -          There is an important difference between sharing documents,
A50839 -          and building and maintaining shared meaning over time. People
A50840 -          can share documents and cause great havoc, loss, crisis and
A50841 -          calamity, because the meaning drawn is based on unique
A50842 -          experience and perspective, and therefore causes conflicting
A50843 -          action.  Accordingly, KM must do more than share documents in
A50844 -          order to improve productivity, earnings and stock prices. see
A50845 -          POIMS, ref OF 2 079L
A50846 -
A50847 -          Com Metrics focuses on "shared meaning" rather than sharing
A50848 -          docs. ref OF 2 1298 and ref OF 2 08A5  The goal of KM should
A50849 -          be to transition from IT, based on sharing documents, to a
A50850 -          culture of knowledge that converts a continuous information
A50851 -          stream into Knowledge Space. see POIMS, ref OF 2 1107
A50852 -
A50853 -
A50854 -
A50855 -
A50856 -
A50857 -
A509 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
File System Traditional Hierarchial
Interoperability Requirement
Legacy Technology Needed Maintain Value Investment Creating Record

AD0701 -      ..
AD0702 -     Filesystem-Like:
AD0703 -
AD0704 -     In order to be usable as a subsystem for publication and
AD0705 -     interoperability with existing systems, the repository will need
AD0706 -     to appear as a traditional filesystem in certain contexts.  The
AD0707 -     whole-document interfaces this will provide should be addressable
AD0708 -     as per a traditional hierarchical filesystem. ref OF 11 XN7J
AD0709 -
AD0710 -           [...below, interoperability is requirement. ref SDS 0 3L9H
AD0712 -         ..
AD0713 -        Seems to align with Doug Engelbart's requirements for launching
AD0714 -        OHS/DKR project, received on 001025. ref SDS 45 MD4M
AD0715 -
AD0716 -
AD0717 -
AD0718 -
AD0719 -
AD08 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Data Base SQL for Hyper Documents
Data Base Needs Methods to Organize and Retrieve
DKR Dynamic Knowledge Repository Organizational Memory Experience Les

AR0701 -      ..
AR0702 -     Database-like Repository
AR0703 -
AR0704 -     Databases systems were a response to the lack of granular
AR0705 -     shareability and searchability of standard filesystems.  The
AR0706 -     repository must support a wide variety of methods for accessing
AR0707 -     content and properly handle interlocking of updates from a variety
AR0708 -     of users. Maybe what we are developing is a kind of next
AR0709 -     generation SQL for hyperdocuments? ref OF 11 0053
AR0710 -
AR0711 -        On 000505 Eric Armstrong set out requirements for this
AR0712 -        capability. ref SDS 25 5003
AR0713 -
AR0714 -        On 000601 Eric set expanded requirements for catagories that
AR0715 -        enable a relational data base to use the document repository.
AR0716 -        ref SDS 33 5933
AR0717 -
AR0718 -
AR0719 -
AR0720 -
AR0721 -
AR0722 -
AR08 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Shared Reusable Data Knowledge within Communities of Users
Collaboration Customer Requriement, 001017
Collaborative Document System Email Core Capability DKR, Eric, 000505
Collaboration, Core Capability DKR - Email, Eric, 000505
Meaning Drift Avoid Alignment
Shared Documents Collaboration
Shared Meaning Different from Sharing Documents

AY1101 -      ..
AY1102 -     Shared and Reusable:
AY1103 -
AY1104 -     One of the basic tenets of collaboration is to share knowledge and
AY1105 -     allow teams to build on the knowledge of any of their members.
AY1106 -     Clearly then, one of the most basic goals of a repository designed
AY1107 -     to support collaborative activity is to allow for the sharing and
AY1108 -     reuse of data and knowledge within communities of users.
AY1109 -     ref OF 11 0063
AY1111 -           ..
AY1112 -          Aligns with Eric's CDS requirements reviewed on 000505.
AY1113 -          Questions raised on this issue are still pending. ref SDS 25
AY1114 -          1804
AY1116 -           ..
AY1117 -          Where is this tenant established as an element of
AY1118 -          "knowledge"?  see analysis above on KM requiring more than
AY1119 -          sharing documents. ref SDS 0 MC9G
AY1121 -           ..
AY1122 -          Isn't the purpose of collaboration to facilitate achieving
AY1123 -          common objectives?  A by product may be sharing and building
AY1124 -          knowledge, but the purpose is to get the job done. This does
AY1125 -          not necessarily requiring sharing, but rather various people
AY1126 -          contributing complimentary knowledge, skills and performance
AY1127 -          of needed tasks.
AY1129 -           ..
AY1130 -          On 000327 Doug requested work to define knowledge, similar to
AY1131 -          Bellinger's work. ref SDS 12 4820
AY1132 -
AY1133 -          Where in the record has concensus formed on this point?
AY1134 -
AY1135 -
AY1136 -
AY1137 -
AY1138 -
AY1139 -
AY1140 -
AY12 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Adaptable Interfaces for C/C++, Java, LISP, Python COM, CORBA and Gno
Interoperability Requirement

B00601 -      ..
B00602 -     Adaptable Interfaces:
B00603 -
B00604 -     Clearly if we wish to attain ubiquity it is necessary to build the
B00605 -     system around interfaces which are adaptable to a wide range of
B00606 -     implementation languages and network interfaces.  We wish to
B00607 -     develop an abstract specification which can be mapped to
B00608 -     implementations in C/C++, Java, LISP, and Python, various
B00609 -     component architectures such as COM, CORBA and Gnome and a variety
B00610 -     of different network protocols such as HTTP, WDDX, FTP, POP/IMAP,
B00611 -     and IRC. ref OF 11 0071
B00612 -
B00613 -           [...below interoperability seems to be another way of
B00614 -           setting out these objectives and requirements. ref SDS 0
B00615 -           3L9H
B00616 -
B00617 -
B00618 -
B007 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Granular Interface Allow Navigation Editing Within Document

B40501 -      ..
B40502 -     Granular Interfaces:
B40503 -
B40504 -     One of the greatest problems with using traditional file systems
B40505 -     as shareable document repositories is the lack of granularity of
B40506 -     the units for sharing (e.g. if I update a single line in a file,
B40507 -     another user should not need to reload the entire file).  We
B40508 -     assume then that the basic interfaces into the document data
B40509 -     models should allow for navigation and editing within the document
B40510 -     as easily as between documents. ref OF 11 0081
B40512 -           ..
B40513 -          This sounds helpful for authors of documents, but risky,
B40514 -          imposing and arrogant if it extends to changing work by
B40515 -          others, per Jack Park's analysis of BrowseUp on 010124.
B40516 -          ref SDS 51 00FO
B40517 -
B40518 -
B40519 -
B40520 -
B406 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Addressable Linkable Reference Reuse Information at Arbitrary Granula
Granular Addressability Requirement

B60601 -      ..
B60602 -     Addressable and Linkable:
B60603 -
B60604 -     In order to build higher level organizations of knowledge and
B60605 -     dialog, it is clearly necessary to be able to reference and reuse
B60606 -     information from other documents at arbitrary granularity. It is
B60607 -     thus necessary to be able to insert links between documents (and
B60608 -     of course hyperlinks are essential components of HTML and XML in
B60609 -     any case).  We must thus provide the ability to address any point
B60610 -     (or range) within one of our documents and build links to and from
B60611 -     that point. ref OF 11 0091
B60613 -            ..
B60614 -           Aligns with requirements Eric Armstrong submitted on 000505.
B60615 -           ref SDS 25 6237
B60616 -
B60617 -             [...above, Lee describes fundamental issue solved by NODAL
B60618 -             and CDR is granularity of data access. ref SDS 0 U78K
B60619 -
B60620 -             [...below, granular addressability is a requirement for
B60621 -             NODAL. ref SDS 0 3L6I
B60622 -
B60623 -             [...below, hyperlinks are listed separagely in the
B60624 -             requirements table for NODAL. ref SDS 0 3M5O
B60626 -            ..
B60627 -           Has anyone accomplished this capability?
B60628 -
B60629 -           Is there a model that suggests it can be done, and is there
B60630 -           experience that demonstrates costs and benefits?
B60632 -            ..
B60633 -           For example on 000125 Eric worried about boggling the mind,
B60634 -           ref SDS 6 3975, how will that be addressed by NODAL and CDR?
B60635 -           Did Eric ever solve this problem?  On 000811 objections were
B60636 -           raised to an addressable and linkable record. ref SDS 39
B60637 -           0001  On 000824 links were hated. ref SDS 40 7O9I
B60638 -
B60639 -
B607 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Meetings Calls Require Sharing Documents for Live Collaboration
Live Collaboration Not Supported CVS

B80601 -      ..
B80602 -     Synchronous and Asynchronous:
B80603 -     Live Collaboration Share Documents for Meetings Calls
B80604 -     Meetings Calls Integrated into Record of Live Collaboration
B80605 -
B80606 -
B80607 - Lee says....
B80608 -
B80609 -     Collaboration comes in many forms, from face-to-face meetings, to
B80610 -     telephone conferences to independent development of source code.
B80611 -     If we wish the repository to be an intermediary for all of these
B80612 -     types of activity, it is necessary to understand and support the
B80613 -     ability to share documents both synchronously (for live
B80614 -     collaboration) and asynchronously. ref OF 11 0102
B80615 -
B80616 -           [...below, this is described as email under requirements.
B80617 -           ref SDS 0 3M8H
B80619 -      ..
B80620 -     NODAL and CDR follow Lee's paper on Ubiquitous Collaboration for
B80621 -     improving teamwork where knowledge of the group is greater than
B80622 -     that of any individual.  An individual's role in the enterprise is
B80623 -     to augment collective knowledge.  The Internet is one form of
B80624 -     support for collaborative knowledge development. ref OF 7 03FJ
B80626 -  ..
B80627 - Lee proposes....
B80628 -
B80629 -     ....a work environment in which every person is organically
B80630 -     connected to a team of common purpose no matter where they are or
B80631 -     what software they are using.  Individual's ideas, decisions and
B80632 -     actions become amplified and enhanced by an automatic, seamless
B80633 -     integration with the ideas, decisions and actions of others.
B80634 -     ref OF 7 03HQ
B80635 -
B80636 -          This supports motivation in NODAL and CDR for live
B80637 -          collaboration. ref SDS 0 D46N
B80639 -           ..
B80640 -          What mechanism provides "automatic" and seamless integration
B80641 -          of everybody?
B80643 -           ..
B80644 -          If it could be created, where is proof that connections
B80645 -          "amplify" and "enhance" rather than obscure and overwhelm, as
B80646 -          anticiapted by Eric Armstrong in his CDR requirements issued
B80647 -          000505? ref SDS 25 4524
B80649 -  ..
B80650 - Lee argues....
B80651 -
B80652 -     Without this kind of infrastructure in place, the potential for
B80653 -     radical enhancement of efficiency and productivity that has always
B80654 -     been the promise of networked computing can never be realized. But
B80655 -     this will only happen when the barriers to the accumulation of
B80656 -     group knowledge and group processes are dismantled. ref OF 7 F13K
B80658 -          ..
B80659 -         Since the barrier to sharing information comes from biology of
B80660 -         self-preservation, i.e., the drive to be safe, it can never be
B80661 -         "dismantled," per se.  Culture accumulates people into groups
B80662 -         that enable some sharing, and this can be exploited within
B80663 -         parameters of privacy, security and confidentiality.
B80665 -          ..
B80666 -         Communication Metrics is a management science that balances
B80667 -         augmenting human intelligence for guiding daily work, called
B80668 -         out by Doug Engelbart in his 1972 paper, and reviewed on
B80669 -         000327, ref SDS 14 3971, with advantages of building and
B80670 -         maintaining shared meaning, as explained in POIMS. ref OF 2
B80671 -         1101
B80673 -          ..
B80674 -         On 010517 the record shows SDS enhances productivity called
B80675 -         out by Lee today. ref SDS 67 T35N
B80677 -          ..
B80678 -         Need explanation of synchronous and asynchronous issues that
B80679 -         support collaboration for meetings and calls?
B80681 -          ..
B80682 -         Purpose of proposal on NODAL and CDR is reviewed relative to
B80683 -         solving file sharing issues for software programming, or
B80684 -         evolving a system of general Communication Metrics that
B80685 -         augment human intelligence to lift civilization. ref SDS 0
B80686 -         R14L
B80688 -  ..
B80689 - Lee continues....
B80690 -
B80691 -     Collaboration generates implicit knowledge through meetings and
B80692 -     calls.  Good ideas and reasoning for rejecting bad ones are lost
B80693 -     to recall unless dialogue and observations are both recorded and
B80694 -     integrated into a knowledge base. It is often simple to record and
B80695 -     store meetings either with a human note-taker or a digital
B80696 -     recording, but without content-based retrieval mechanisms that
B80697 -     provide the means to exploit these recordings, and the ability to
B80698 -     integrate them into the products that are being developed by the
B80699 -     team, it may be of little advantage to do so. ref OF 7 04HS
B80701 -          ..
B80702 -         Another way to make the same point is that information from
B80703 -         meetings, like that from email and other documents must be
B80704 -         captured, and converted into useful knowledge, so that when
B80705 -         something is retrieved, it adds value to current context, as
B80706 -         called out in POIMS. ref OF 2 1101
B80707 -
B80708 -
B80709 -
B80710 -
B80711 -
B80712 -
B808 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Versioned Attributed Supports Trust Enables Collaboration Communities
Version Control Tracks Change History Integrated into MS Word for Man

BA0601 -      ..
BA0602 -     Versioned and Attributed:
BA0603 -     Detailed History of Versions Attribution Builds Trust
BA0604 -
BA0605 -     If there has been one clear observation made in the both
BA0606 -     sociological and computational analysis of what makes
BA0607 -     collaborative communities work is that trust is primary. Sharing
BA0608 -     knowledge or information is a much more trustable activity if a
BA0609 -     user has confidence that it will be used and his/her contribution
BA0610 -     will be properly acknowledged.  From a system point-of-view,
BA0611 -     tracking changes with fine-grained version control and detailed
BA0612 -     attribution can be seen as a means to that end.  When documents
BA0613 -     are more active, such as with computer source code, this
BA0614 -     versioning and attribution becomes critical in tracking
BA0615 -     enhancements and bugs. ref OF 11 0111
BA0616 -
BA0617 -            [...below, granular versioning is a requirement of NODAL.
BA0618 -            ref SDS 0 4W6L
BA0620 -          ..
BA0621 -         Who made such an observation, where is it set out in the
BA0622 -         record?
BA0624 -          ..
BA0625 -         Where is the evidence supporting the proposition that
BA0626 -         attribution encourages collaboration?   On 000227 Jim Spohrer
BA0627 -         is credited with suggesting attribution supports
BA0628 -         collaboration, but no evidence was cited. ref SDS 10 0987
BA0630 -          ..
BA0631 -         Suppose someone contributes a mistake, as when the CEO tells
BA0632 -         people to do thus and so, and it turns to cause earnings and
BA0633 -         stock prices to fall.  Many CEO's will aver attribution,
BA0634 -         because they fear accountability.  Software engineers feel the
BA0635 -         same way.   People want credit when things work, and want to
BA0636 -         avoid accountability when things don't work.
BA0637 -
BA0638 -
BA0639 -
BA07 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Security Privacy Confidentiality

BB0501 -      ..
BB0502 -     Control of Security and Privacy:
BB0503 -
BB0504 -     Without the ability of users and managers to control access and
BB0505 -     modifiability of their contributions. Moreover, many different
BB0506 -     levels of publication of selected materials may be necessary
BB0507 -     within a single repository (e.g. team-only, department-only,
BB0508 -     organization-only, or public). It should be possible to easily
BB0509 -     control such access and have confidence in the security of the
BB0510 -     protections provided. ref OF 11 0125
BB0511 -
BB0512 -         The only real security is not to publish.
BB0514 -          ..
BB0515 -         What effort is planned to balance risks of security against
BB0516 -         risks of meaning drift causing conflicting actions, error,
BB0517 -         loss, failure, crisis and calamity, see POIMS. ref OF 2 V8P1
BB0518 -
BB0519 -
BB0520 -
BB06 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
SQL Data Base for Hyper Documents
Version Change History Not Supported DBMS SQL NODAL Needed for New DB
RDBMS SQL Does Support Security Below Level of Individual Table NODAL
NODAL New Data Base Language Standard Language Independent API

BF0801 -      ..
BF0802 -     NODAL: An Object-Oriented SQL for Documents
BF0803 -
BF0804 -     Requirements for NODAL are exactly those which lead to the design
BF0805 -     and development of relational database management systems (RDMS)
BF0806 -     20 years ago and the development of SQL 10-15 years ago. There was
BF0807 -     a need for an interoperable, shareable, secure resource behind
BF0808 -     many kinds of enterprise-level applications.  These database
BF0809 -     management systems filled that need admirably and SQL became a
BF0810 -     standard language for modelling data in RDBMS's and formulating
BF0811 -     updates and queries to those databases. ref OF 11 0123
BF0813 -      ..
BF0814 -     Unfortunately, RDMS systems do not adapt well to the kinds of
BF0815 -     graph-like document structures that are represented by modern
BF0816 -     markup languages and various forms of knowledge representation
BF0817 -     languages (e.g. XTM, RDF/S, DAML+OIL, etc.). They typically do not
BF0818 -     handle tree or graph structures well, do not track change
BF0819 -     histories for table rows, and do not provide granular and
BF0820 -     adaptable control over security and privacy at levels lower than
BF0821 -     the individual table.  Moreover, their networking models severely
BF0822 -     limit the ability to maintain small-scale local caches of data and
BF0823 -     operate well when transactions and queries are distributed over a
BF0824 -     wide-area network. ref OF 11 0136
BF0826 -           ..
BF0827 -          Is Oracle creating all of this since they have the data base
BF0828 -          concession?
BF0830 -      ..
BF0831 -     We would like to suggest a new paradigm.  NODAL is a language for
BF0832 -     data modelling that directly and efficiently supports arbitrarily
BF0833 -     complicated typed graph structures with a very small number of
BF0834 -     general building blocks.  This language is able to express the
BF0835 -     internal structure of a wide variety of document formats from
BF0836 -     markup languages to multimedia files and will allow applications
BF0837 -     and knowledge bases to access and share their contents heedless of
BF0838 -     the containing data format. ref OF 11 0148
BF0839 -
BF0840 -          There are 4 or 5, maybe 6 improvements in RDBMS that NODAL
BF0841 -          intends to tackle.
BF0843 -           ..
BF0844 -          Has any work been done to indicate one or several of these
BF0845 -          objectives have been accomplished?  Have they all been
BF0846 -          accomplished, and are just waiting to be implemented?  Is
BF0847 -          there a record of experience showing these improvements will
BF0848 -          improve productivity and earnings?  Has consideration been
BF0849 -          given to setting a priority for bringing this capability on
BF0850 -          line, based on creating an improvement that has the best
BF0851 -          chance of being created and of improving productivity?
BF0852 -
BF0853 -
BF0854 -
BF09 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
NODAL New Data Base Language Standard Language Independent API
Engine Automatically Manage Distributed Multi-user Change Tracking
Change History Version Control Provided for Word Documents Enables Ow
Engineering Management CVS Check In Out Avoids Conflicting Changes So

BJ0801 -      ..
BJ0802 -     Automatically Manage Distributed Multi-user Change Tracking
BJ0803 -
BJ0804 -     NODAL implementations will automatically manage distributed,
BJ0805 -     multi-user change tracking, attribution and historical recovery of
BJ0806 -     individual nodes in these graphs. The design is expressed using
BJ0807 -     modern object-oriented principles and will allow server
BJ0808 -     implementations to support a variety of access protocols. The
BJ0809 -     client APIs will allow applications to be built directly on top of
BJ0810 -     this data modelling language so as to painlessly support
BJ0811 -     synchronous and asynchronous collaboration in the development and
BJ0812 -     exploitation of shared documents and knowledge bases in a wide
BJ0813 -     variety of user-oriented tools. ref OF 11 0157
BJ0814 -
BJ0815 -              [On 010622 Morris describes this capability as
BJ0816 -              "groupware." ref SDS 78 VO4H
BJ0818 -           ..
BJ0819 -          This appears to accomplish the "motive" task for the project
BJ0820 -          to strengthen CVS, per above. ref SDS 0 01U3
BJ0822 -           ..
BJ0823 -          This is issue Jack Park cited on 010618 that is being solved
BJ0824 -          by Nexist. ref SDS 76 K67N  Morris wanted this capability for
BJ0825 -          collaboration in his letter on 010614. ref SDS 75 RW5F
BJ0827 -           ..
BJ0828 -          How will NODAL automatically manage distributed, multi-user
BJ0829 -          change tracking, attribution and historical recovery of
BJ0830 -          individual nodes in these graphs?
BJ0831 -
BJ0832 -              Does the record of developing NODAL illustrate this
BJ0833 -              capability, or demonstrate problems to be solved?
BJ0835 -               ..
BJ0836 -              "Automatically manage distributed, multi-user change
BJ0837 -              tracking sounds like an "engine" proposed on 000623 for
BJ0838 -              creating and assigning links. ref SDS 35 2915  On 001130
BJ0839 -              another engine was proposed to figure out subjects and
BJ0840 -              assign them. ref SDS 47 CC7K
BJ0842 -           ..
BJ0843 -          How many people will be required to implement this automated
BJ0844 -          documeng log?
BJ0845 -
BJ0846 -          How will speed be impacted as the number of people and
BJ0847 -          changes increase say from one person working on 2MB, to 100
BJ0848 -          people working on 20GB?
BJ0849 -
BJ0850 -
BJ0851 -
BJ0852 -
BJ0853 -
BJ0854 -
BJ09 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
XML Inadequate Need NODAL
XML Web Development HTML Not Supported by CVS

BL0601 -      ..
BL0602 -     Why Not Just XML?
BL0603 -
BL0604 -     Proponents of XML suggest the XML Schema language is a basis for
BL0605 -     supporting NODAL capabilities. They claim that XML is a general
BL0606 -     data modelling language and that Document Object Model (DOM)
BL0607 -     interfaces to XML database implementations form a general,
BL0608 -     interoperable basis for shared document management.  If that is
BL0609 -     so, then why hasn't this revolution already started? ref OF 11
BL0610 -     01V9
BL0612 -           ..
BL0613 -          On 010510 Steve Balmer reported Microsoft is creating XML
BL0614 -          capability that will be available in 5 years or so.  Balmer
BL0615 -          reported Microsoft is investing heavily in the belief that
BL0616 -          XML is an important solution for the future. ref SDS 66 8Y8H
BL0618 -      ..
BL0619 -     The simple answer is that XML has both problems and limitations
BL0620 -     that make its applicability to the range of problems we hope to
BL0621 -     solve somewhat limited.  One of the most fundamental problems is
BL0622 -     the lack of separation between the XML data model and the
BL0623 -     expressive syntax. This complicates many aspects of the design of
BL0624 -     XML-aware applications and libraries to the point that XML-based
BL0625 -     specifications have become enormously complicated (e.g. XML
BL0626 -     Schema) Pointedly, the XML language does not even have a broadly
BL0627 -     recognized data model of its own.  The XML Infoset is still an
BL0628 -     area of debate and the lack of consensus on its structure makes
BL0629 -     the continued development of such things as the DOM itself
BL0630 -     increasingly difficult. ref OF 11 X23G
BL0632 -      ..
BL0633 -     In the NODAL design, we have expressly separated the data
BL0634 -     modelling language and APIs from the serialization of said data so
BL0635 -     that we may support a wide variety of serializations for the same
BL0636 -     document model. In this context, we see XML as a tool we can both
BL0637 -     use to build NODAL serializations and protocols and as a
BL0638 -     particular target application which may be built using the NODAL
BL0639 -     tools. We might thus define an XML Infoset using the NODAL
BL0640 -     language and use the client APIs as a basis for a DOM
BL0641 -     implementation. ref OF 11 011R
BL0642 -
BL0643 -
BL0644 -
BL0645 -
BL0646 -
BL07 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Related Work

BM0501 -      ..
BM0502 -     Related Work Still Pending
BM0503 -
BM0504 -          This part is pending development. ref OF 11 0199
BM0505 -
BM0506 -     Kimber's Groves
BM0507 -     Subversion
BM0508 -     INXAR
BM0509 -     Castor
BM0510 -
BM0511 -
BM06 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction
Related Work

BN0501 -      ..
BN0502 -     Requirements Table
BN0503 -
BN0504 -     Over the course of discussions in Douglas Engelbart's OHS group
BN0505 -     and eventually a small group of collaborators referred to as
BN0506 -     Nodeland, we have come to some consensus on a minimal set of
BN0507 -     architectural requirements for implementing an Open Hyperdocument
BN0508 -     System. ref OF 11 02S1
BN0509 -
BN0510 -          Where is the record of work building concensus, per above?
BN0511 -          ref SDS 0 497M
BN0513 -      ..
BN0514 -     I have selected from amongst those requirements, a subset which I
BN0515 -     feel are directly addressed by the NODAL design.  I list these,
BN0516 -     with some explanation below and will provide hyperlinks to the
BN0517 -     sections of the design documents in which these requirements are
BN0518 -     addressed. ref OF 11 056N
BN0520 -             ..
BN0521 -            When will links be provided; none are available today?
BN0522 -
BN0523 -
BN0524 -
BN0525 -
BN06 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction Requirements Table
Interoperability Requirement
Transculsion Requirement
Addressability Granular Requirement
Versioning Granular Requirement
Catagorizing Requirement Remarked Out on 010620
Hyperlinks Requirement

BT1001 -        ..
BT1002 -       IO  Interoperability
BT1003 -
BT1004 -           LI  Language Independence
BT1005 -           II  Implementation Independence
BT1006 -           AI  Application Independence
BT1007 -           LD  Legacy Document Support
BT1008 -
BT1009 -            File system is needed for interoperability, per above.
BT1010 -            ref SDS 0 HS4H
BT1012 -             ..
BT1013 -            Sounds like another way of saying adaptable interfaces.
BT1014 -            ref SDS 0 HT8H
BT1015 -
BT1017 -        ..
BT1018 -       TC  Transclusion (Content Reusability), ref OF 11 UB8I
BT1019 -
BT1020 -              This is not discussed anywhere else.  Jack seems to be
BT1021 -              using this to mean linking.  Does it do anything beyond
BT1022 -              link?
BT1024 -        ..
BT1025 -       GA  Granular Addressability, ref OF 11 4C8L
BT1026 -
BT1027 -           PA  Path addressing
BT1028 -           OA  Object addressing
BT1029 -
BT1030 -              This is discussed above. ref SDS 0 LH5J
BT1032 -        ..
BT1033 -       GV  Granular Versioning, ref OF 11 LC9H
BT1034 -
BT1035 -           AU  Audit trail
BT1036 -           RV  Revisions, versions and history
BT1037 -           AT  Attribution
BT1038 -
BT1039 -              This is discussed above. ref SDS 0 659G
BT1041 -        ..
BT1042 -       GC  Granular Catagorization, ref OF 11 8E9O
BT1043 -
BT1044 -           IR  Intrinsic Ratings
BT1045 -           CR  Contextual Ratings
BT1046 -
BT1047 -              This section is marked out as of today, possibly because
BT1048 -              "ontology" was selected to summarize this scope.
BT1049 -
BT1050 -              Eric's CDS specs v0.6 reviewed on 000601 has some
BT1051 -              material that might fit here. ref SDS 33 5933
BT1053 -        ..
BT1054 -       HL  Hyperlinks, ref OF 11 YC4L
BT1055 -
BT1056 -           BL  Bidirectional Linking
BT1057 -           EL  External Links
BT1058 -           TL  Typed Links
BT1059 -
BT1060 -              Evidently this is different from transclusion, so some
BT1061 -              explanation is needed about objectives and performance,
BT1062 -              plus some scenarios.
BT1063 -
BT1064 -              Linking is discussed above as addressable and linkable,
BT1065 -              yet in this Requirements table, these are separated. Why?
BT1066 -              ref SDS 0 LH5J
BT1067 -
BT1068 -
BT11 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction Requirements Table
Distributed Synchronized Asynchronous Email Requirement
Email Traces Document History and Reasons for Making Changes

BV0601 -        ..
BV0602 -       DS  Distributed & Synchronized
BV0603 -       ref OF 11 6G5J
BV0604 -
BV0605 -           SC  Syncronous Collaboration
BV0606 -           AC  Asyncronous Collaboration
BV0607 -           EM  Email Integration
BV0608 -           NM  Notification & Messaging
BV0610 -               ..
BV0611 -              This is discussed above as including support for
BV0612 -              meetings, calls and other live collaboration.  Is that
BV0613 -              scope covered some way by these requirements? ref SDS 0
BV0614 -              655K
BV0616 -               ..
BV0617 -              Email is discussed under motivation as used for tracking
BV0618 -              document change history, which causes "bloat," that NODAL
BV0619 -              will solve. ref SDS 0 BWUV
BV0620 -
BV0621 -
BV0622 -
BV0623 -
BV07 -

SUBJECTS
Nodal Introduction Requirements Table
Ontology Translations Requirements
Secure Access Controlled Requirements
Data Translater API Requirements

BZ0701 -        ..
BZ0702 -       ON  Ontologies
BZ0703 -       ref OF 11 RG6H
BZ0704 -
BZ0705 -       OT  Ontology Translations
BZ0706 -
BZ0707 -           What is an "ontology" and how does it relate to CVS document
BZ0708 -           check in and check out for avoiding bumbling when 2 or 100
BZ0709 -           engineers change the same software code, per above problem
BZ0710 -           to solve? ref SDS 0 U78K and ref SDS 0 0157
BZ0712 -            ..
BZ0713 -           Will ontology help software programmers who don't like to
BZ0714 -           write things down, reported on 990525. ref SDS 3 0966  How
BZ0715 -           will this occur, who will use it?
BZ0717 -            ..
BZ0718 -           Ontology does not seem to be discussed anywhere else in
BZ0719 -           Lee's work.
BZ0721 -            ..
BZ0722 -           What concensus has been reached on this subject, and where
BZ0723 -           is this shown in the record?
BZ0725 -            ..
BZ0726 -           Eric's CDS specs v0.6 reviewed on 000601 has some material
BZ0727 -           that might fit here. ref SDS 33 5933
BZ0728 -
BZ0729 -              [On 011003 Eric Armstrong wants categories to help
BZ0730 -              analyse links to technologies, frustrated information
BZ0731 -              overload paralizes productivity. ref SDS 81 SW9L
BZ0733 -            ..
BZ0734 -           Ontology is a lot of work, a Pandora's box of complexity,
BZ0735 -           according to Jack Park on 000221. ref SDS 8 7455  Who is
BZ0736 -           going to do it, with what tools and with what skills, and
BZ0737 -           where is time and budget allocated?
BZ0739 -            ..
BZ0740 -           Need scenarios for application?
BZ0742 -        ..
BZ0743 -       SA  Secure Access-controlled, ref OF 11 RG6K
BZ0744 -
BZ0745 -              This is discussed above. ref SDS 0 OX3L
BZ0747 -        ..
BZ0748 -       DT  Data translator API
BZ0749 -
BZ0750 -           Is this the Hyperscope discussed on 001025?
BZ0751 -
BZ0752 -           Is it interoperability?
BZ0753 -
BZ0754 -
BZ0755 -
BZ0756 -
BZ0757 -
BZ0758 -
BZ0759 -
BZ0760 -
BZ0761 -
BZ0762 -
BZ0763 -
BZ0764 -
BZ0765 -
BZ0766 -
BZ0767 -
BZ0768 -
BZ0769 -
BZ0770 -
BZ0771 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"