On Fri, 11 May 2001 16:35:22 Tim Cook wrote:
...
>John Gage wrote:
>> This suggests that coders who are not physicians should
...
>>avoid writing code that could be
>> construed as creating a medical standard.
...
>I disagree. You simply cannot produce a product of this
>complexity without the combined energies and expertise of
>software professionals, healthcare business professionals and
>physicians.
Hi Tim,
I agree with John. There was once upon a time when the complexities of understanding
the Bible routinely required the expertise of priests. :-) Of course, this has not
been the case since some enlightened priests did translate the word of God into more
understandable formats.
Similarly, some enlightened software professionals did build tools (like Zope) that
allow non-professionals like me to produce useful software.
Whether non-professionals can build a complex product is an empirical question, not
a theoretical or theological one. Your perspective is reminescent of Micorsoft's FUD
attack on Linux from a few years ago. Take a look at the OIO system and OIO Library.
Do they work as "hyped"? :-)
I am not against "software engineers" joining forces with us. However, I don't agree
that "software professionals" and multi-billion dollar budgets are necessary for
developing complex software. Maybe we can both agree on this final point. <vbg>
Best regards,
Andrew
---
Andrew P. Ho, M.D.
OIO: Open Infrastructure for Outcomes
TxOutcome.Org (hosting OIO Library #1)
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
University of California, Los Angeles
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