Message Passing Semantics.
Abstract
In this paper we develop the semantics of workstation networks in the office in terms of the concepts of application structure and organizational structure of the office. Application structure is concerned with the rules and constraints of the domain of office work such as accounting, law, or social security regulations. Organizational structure is concerned with the social structure of the office as an organization and as such concerns the subsystem components of the office and roles of office workers. Detailed knowledge of office application structures and organizational structures is necessary in order to understand how they interact and evolve. Problem solving is a pervasive activity within offices. It is necessary within the application domain to fulfill the requirements of the application tasks and it is necessary within the organizational domain to understand the influence of the structure of the organization on the application domain. Problem solving is also performed when office workers apply general knowledge about office procedures to the specific cases encountered in their daily work. We discuss how a description system named OMEGA can aid in the construction of interactive systems whose intent is to describe the application and organization structures. Using the knowledge embedded within itself about the office OMEGA can help support office workers in their problem solving processes. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 19, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA103905
Entities
People
- Carl Hewitt
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology