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#access2009pie – Peter Rukavina – Infinite Malleability
2 Oct 09
Going to talk about application vs capabilities instead.
When designing a system, you can build apps, or you can build capabilities. Flexible, multi-use systems for multi-talented generalists: farm example, architecture that supports multiple uses. Farmers do lots of stuff. Contrast with a factory, inflexible, purpose-built, made for specialists. Factory workers do one thing over and over. Industrialism changed the system design paradigm from capabilities to applications. The two overlap, but are different sensibilities. Apps are discrete, manageable, predictable, artificial; capabilities are interrelated, malleable, unpredictable and natural.
E.g. of the unix command line as providing capabilities. Contrast Royal Botanical Gardens–a nature application that has been installed in Hamilton–with the Charlottetown Boulder Park, a capability of the urban landscape. There are many other examples.
Library web site (Robertson UPEI) as an example of an application oriented design, vs Google (of course) which provides capability. Is the library’s mission to run a book and reading management application, or to extend society’s knowledge capabilities?
Posted by pzed on October 2, 2009 at 7.04am
Categories: access 2009, conferences, libraries, twitter
