RE: Terminology

[sara.mitchell@xxxxxxxxx]

Wow! Well I have two additional definitions for schema from the
Dictionary of Object Terminology (Firesmith/Eykholt) that may also
help 'fill in' the definition in a more object-oriented way:

1. the set of all types whose instances may be stored in a 
single objectbase. 

(in document terms, the definition of all the types of information
objects that may occur in documents of a particular type)

2. any collection of object types and other schemas that 
constitute some form of operational system. Every schema identifies 
a list of object types and some schemas impose structure
on this list. 

(this one is pertinent because in the case of DTDs or Schemas
they do ordain order as well as rules on type, how objects
are composed and related)

I will also say, Robert, that your original use of the term 
'information design' was absolutely correct. If you read 
literature (which I do) about this area of interest, the 
term is generally agreed upon by professionals in the area 
to apply to BOTH the "page design layout" issue that the web folks
are interested in and to the more general and conceptual issue 
of how information designed (from concept to writing to presentation) 
to meet a given audience and purpose. 

Sara

[snipped from Robert DuCharme 7/12/00]
> Unlike a lot of these terms that we throw around, there is no 
> solid formal
> computer science definition of the term "schema." At least, 
> none that I
> could find, and I looked in a wide variety of textbooks and 
> basic reference
> works (C.J. Date, etc.). 
> 
[snip]
> The term "data structures" is more commonly used, but 
> discussions of it
> focus on the data structures available in various computer 
> languages and how
> to use them, not when. I used to like the term "information 
> design" until I
> found out that it's used to describe visual layout by the 
> page layout types
> who now design web pages. "Information architecture" is also 
> popular, but
> popular enough to become a buzzword and therefore often 
> applied a bit too
> widely. The design of a given system's "object model" is 
> probably closest to
> what you want; this will take you in the direction of the 
> object-oriented
> literature, and document designers (i.e. people analyzing information
> components and their relationships, not the "information 
> designers" picking
> fonts and colors) can learn a lot from that world.
> 
> Bob DuCharme          www.snee.com/bob           <bob@  
> snee.com>  "The elements be kind to thee, and make thy
> spirits all of comfort!" Anthony and Cleopatra, III ii
> 
> 
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