bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving interactive performance using TIPME
Authors: Endo Yasuhiro , Seltzer Margo
Published: January 2007

On the vast majority of today's computers, the dominant form of computation is GUI-based user interaction. In such an environment, the user's perception is the final arbiter of performance. Human-factors research shows that a user's perception of performance is affected by unexpectedly long delays. However, most performance-tuning techniques currently rely on throughput-sensitive benchmarks. While these techniques improve the
average
performance of the system, they do little to detect or eliminate response-time variabilities—in particular, unexpectedly long delays.

We introduce a measurement infrastructure that allows us to improve user-perceived performance by helping us to identify and eliminate the causes of the unexpected long response times that users find unacceptable. We describe TIPME (The Interactive Performance Monitoring Environment), a collection of measurement tools that allowed us to quickly and easily diagnose interactive performance “bugs” in a mature operating system. We present two case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of our measurement infrastructure. Each of the performance problems we identify drastically affects variability in response time in a mature system, demonstrating that current tuning techniques do not address this class of performance problems.
Evaluating content management techniques for Web proxy caches
Authors: Arlitt Martin , Cherkasova Ludmila , Dilley John , Friedrich Rich , Jin Tai
Published: January 2007

The continued growth of the World-Wide Web and the emergence of new end-user technologies such as cable modems necessitate the use of proxy caches to reduce latency, network traffic and Web server loads. Current Web proxy caches utilize simple replacement policies to determine which files to retain in the cache. We utilize a trace of client requests to a busy Web proxy in an ISP environment to evaluate the performance of several existing replacement policies and of two new, parameterless replacement policies that we introduce in this paper. Finally, we introduce Virtual Caches, an approach for improving the performance of the cache for multiple metrics simultaneously.
BioJava
Authors: Pocock Matthew , Down Thomas , Hubbard Tim
Published: January 2007

BioJava is an open source Java library for bioinformatics. It is highly object oriented, allowing extensive customization without extensive code writing. The project is coordinated from the web site at
http://www.biojava.org
and the mailing list for related discussion is biojava-1@biojava.org.
A lite bioinformatics specialization
Authors: Jones Warren T. , Lefkowitz Elliot J.
Published: January 2007

The emerging bioinformatics research community can benefit from an increase in computer science collaborators. One of the barriers to computer science collaboration is the lack of bioinformatics domain knowledge in the computer science community. This paper presents a strategy for facilitating this domain knowledge acquisition with the goal of accelerating the collaboration development process, particularly on campuses in which the computer science and bioformatics/medical communities are co-resident.
A lecture on Array languages
Authors: Smillie Keith
Published: January 2007

Programming languages are introduced briefly and a distinction is made between conventional and array languages. The language J is given as a modern exemplar of array languages and is illustrated with a few simple examples. Some comments are given on the teaching of languages and on the history of computing.
On writing OpenMath content dictionaries
Authors: Davenport James H.
Published: January 2007

This paper is based on various discussion with the OpenMath Consortium, and recently at the University of Western Ontario. All errors are the author's. Many helpful suggestions have been made, particularly by Dr. Dewar and Dr. Naylor.This paper outlines some of the issues that affect authors of OpenMath Content Dictionaries, and their associated Small Type System [4] files.
“According to Abramowitz and Stegun” or arccoth needn't be uncouth
Authors: Corless Robert M. , Jeffrey David J. , Watt Stephen M. , Davenport James H.
Published: January 2007

This paper addresses the definitions in OpenMath of the elementary functions. The original OpenMath definitions, like most other sources, simply cite [2] as the definition. We show that this is not adequate, and propose precise definitions, and explore the relationships between these definitions.In particular, we introduce the concept of a couth pair of definitions, e.g. of arcsin and arcsinh, and show that the pair arccot and
arccoth
can be couth.
PLEXACT: an architecture & design of a knowledge-based system for information systems development
Authors: Chen Minder , Nunamaker Jay F. , Konsynski Benn R.
Published: January 2007

This paper discusses the architecture and design of an expert system PLEXACT, (PLEXsys in ACTion), which can be used to assist users in defining their information requirements and to analyze the consistency and integrity of the requirements. PLEXACT is different from other system analysis languages and tools because of its active participation in the requirements elicitation process and its dynamic system architecture which is adaptable to different system development settings.Current system analysis methodologies are first reviewed and evaluated. An intelligent system development tool that can remedy the disadvantages of the current approaches is described. The knowledge needed for information systems development is identified and representations of this knowledge are discussed. An object-oriented and communication-based architecture, called PLEXACT, is proposed. PLEXACT is a configurable system architecture which can support expert system building for information system development. The kernel of PLEXACT includes: (1) Development Coordinator: coordinates different expert system models to solve the system problems and guide the development process. Development Coordinator consists of four components: User Modeler, Project Controller, Problem Analyzer, and Development Knowledge Base and Data Base; (2) Information Systems Modeler: builds information system development theories, methods, and tools into expert system models to capture multiple perspectives of a system at different level of abstraction. Models can work together by specifying their coupling information to Model Creator. Information Systems Modeler consists of Model Creator, Model Instantiator, System Analyst and Designer, Model-based Learner, and Modeling Knowledge Base and Data Base. Current research in knowledge-based system development tools and some implementation issues of PLEXACT are also discussed.
Some social implications of ubiquitous wireless networks
Authors: Smith Marc A.
Published: January 2007

Wireless computer networks and the devices to communicate with them are about to become ubiquitous. A profusion of devices is likely to emerge quickly in specialized form factors, from handhelds to cheap, disposable sensors. Groups of people using these tools will gain new forms of social power, ways to organize and coordinate their interactions and exchanges just in time and just in place. Using these tools, people will be able to collectively construct a range of resources that were too difficult or expensive, or simply impossible to provide before. Simultaneously, these tools will gather a constellation of intimate data about each of us. Wireless devices will penetrate every nook and cranny of the social world, bringing the efficiency of information technology to the production of panoptic power. In the following, two sociological concepts, Power/Knowledge and social dilemmas, are used as a guide to the kinds of social institutions and relationships that are likely to emerge from the use of these tools.
UCSD center for wireless communications "sun, fun and Ph.D.s, too"
Authors: Rao Ramesh R. , Larson Lawrence
Published: January 2007

Founded in 1995 by the University of California, San Diego and Industrial Participants, the Center for Wireless Communications collaborates to identify emerging opportunities, pursue basic research, and transfer relevant technology for subsequent commercialization.
A study examining the performance of the cyberlink mental interface
Authors: Doherty Eamon , Cockton Gilbert , Bloor Chris , Benigno Dennis
Published: January 2007

A group of persons with a variety of neurological and mental impairments participated in a study to investigate the use of a mental interface and a trackball to point and click in a Windows 95 environment. Each participant's disability, medications, and performance with each input device are displayed. Some observations are made and discussed. The paper concludes with a participant using a newly modified version of the Yes No program to communicate. This person can use no other input device except using the Cyberlink to communicate or control a computer.
XML and genomic data
Authors: Cohn Judith D.
Published: January 2007

XML is an extensible, universal format for structured data exchange and documents on the Web. This brief overview highlights examples of current work and future directions for domain-specific XML within the genomic community.
Gröbner bases specialization through Hilbert functions
Authors: Gonzalez-Lopez M.-J. , Gonzalez-Vega L. , Traverso C. , Zanoni A.
Published: January 2007

This paper shows how to solve homogeneous polynomial systems that contain parameters. The Hilbert function is used to check that the specialization of a 'generic' Gröbner basis of the parametric homogeneous polynomial system (computed in a polynomial ring containing the parameters and the unknowns as variables) is a Gröbner basis of the specialized homogeneous polynomial system. A preliminary implementation of these algorithms in PoSSoLib is also reported.
Dealing with software process deviations using fuzzy logic based monitoring
Authors: Cîmpan Sorana , Oquendo Flavio
Published: January 2007

The work presented in this paper concerns the monitoring of software processes using a fuzzy logic based approach. The proposed monitoring for software processes focuses on the detection of deviations with respect to given models. The level of deviation is computed for different aspects of the process like progress, cost, structure (order between activities), etc. The proposed approach is implemented by the OMEGA environment (OMEGA stands for On-line Monitoring Environment: General and Adaptable). The environment provides a language for defining monitoring models. Such models are executed by the environment's engine. Fuzzy sets theory is used in the representation of the Information handled by monitoring systems, and possibility theory in the reasoning upon it. Fuzzy logic offers significant advantages over other approaches due to its ability to naturally represent uncertain and imprecise information. It equally provides a good framework for approximate reasoning. The use of the proposed monitoring environment is illustrated in the context of the Unified Software Development Process.
On computing a separating transcendence basis
Authors: Steinwandt Rainer
Published: January 2007

Let
k
(
x
1
,…,

x
n

)/
k
be a finitely generated field extension, and
g
1
,…,

g
r

ε
k
(x). For
k
(
x
1
,…,

x
n

)/
k
(
g
1
,…,

g
r

) being separably generated (which in particular includes the case char(
k
) = 0) we give a method to compute the transcendence degree and a separating transcendence basis of this extension by means of simple linear algebra techniques.
Symmetries of the firing squad sychronization problem revealed in a nested array
Authors: Benkard A. P.
Published: January 2007

The firing squad problem of automata theory is described and a simple, nonoptimal solution is given. Examination of output traces shows that the solution has at least one obvious symmetry. If the transition matrix is reshaped and partitioned, the resulting nested array not only reveals and explicates more symmetries but suggests ways in which nested arrays can be used to save space.
Efficient evaluation of the area under the normal curve
Authors: Foster G. , Kraemer J. , Foote W.
Published: January 2007

The task of evaluating the cumulative distribution of a normally distributed random variable is considered. A brief introduction into this problem is given and several possible approximations are presented as APL functions. Many of these functions have been written in two versions. The first version is written in the original APL style. the companion function using an APL2 coding style is also included in the paper for purposes of comparison. Both versions have been tested using simple data vectors of varying lengths and run under APL on an IBM 3090 with and without a Vector Facility. The results are compared among the algorithms, between the coding styles, and with and without hardware support for vector processing.
Parts of arrays-an introduction
Authors: Gfeller M.
Published: January 2007

Traditionally, APL arrays have three
parts
:
shape, type
and
elements
. This notion is extended to include user defined and additional primitive parts. Functions are defined to manipulate parts.
Keyed indexing
is introduced to define parts, and also as an enhancement in its own right.

In this paper, the concept of parts of arrays is introduced at a general level. The definition of parts is illustrated and some examples of their use is given.
APL and SAS in co-operation
Authors: Karjala E.
Published: January 2007

This paper describes two different menu-driven applications, in which APL software and the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) are used together. In one (TTK = The Statistical Database System) SAS is called during the execution of an APL application to produce color maps from the data retrieved and probably modified in an APL application. In the other (the ZT System) APL is called during the execution of a SAS application to handle complicated functions of the whole application. Some attention is also given to the effective FORTRAN-based input/output routines utilized in both of these applications.
Arrays of objects in rationalized APL
Authors: Werder Andreas
Published: January 2007

A number of proposals have been made so far to extend the array concept of APL to functions thus allowing functions of non-zero array rank [Bernecky 84, Brown 84]. Some of them required significant extensions to the APL language, both in syntax and in functionality. In this paper a scheme is presented which extends arrays to all classes of APL objects:
data, function
and
operator
. It is based on the extensions made by K.E. Iverson, first published in “Rationalized APL” [Iverson 83] and formally described in “A Dictionary of APL” [Iverson 87].

It is shown that the construction of arrays of any class can be achieved without additional extensions to the rationalized APL syntax. True generalized arrays, which may contain enclosed elements of any class, are introduced. A function application operator is proposed which extends the domain of a number of functions to function arrays. Finally the operator is used to rationalize vector and canonical representation of simple, derived and defined functions and function arrays.
A formal approach to the problems of microcode compaction caused by transient data resources of the microarchitectures
Authors: Manasiev L. , Petkov A. , Boyanov K.
Published: January 2007

A method of sequential microcode compaction for architectures containing transient data resources is discussed.A theoretical apparatus, allowing the identification of microoperation groups requiring synchronization according to their transient data resources as well as their correcposnding transient data resources is suggested.An algorithm, separating the microoperation groups resulting from the transient data resources in the microarchitectures is also discussed.
Toward machine independent microcode
Authors: Stanculescu Alec G.
Published: January 2007

This paper shows how both the microcode and the underlying hardware can be described together in a modular fashion in an Ada
1
-like environment. The description of the hardware uses libraries of component descriptions. The microcode description identifies the machine dependent portions, thus facilitating the portability of machine independent microcode to new architectures.
A short tutorial on multiple-threaded vocabularies
Authors: Martin Harold M.
Published: January 2007

The beginning Forth student is usually introduced to vocabularies as single linked lists of words, with the most recently defined word at the head of the list. Although the student may later become more or less aware of the multiple thread property of various Forth models, few texts explain the nature of the implementation, or the significance and importance of multiple threads in speeding up the interpretation process.
The use of menus in the design of on-line sytems
Authors: Hodgson Gordon M. , Ruth Stephen R.
Published: January 2007

The benefits of menus in the human/computer interface are difficult to examine empirically. The positive relationship between the use of menu - driven systems and improvements in productivity has been conjectured, but not often demonstrated. This paper examines, in a brief retrospective way, the background and characteristics of menu-based systems with emphasis on productivity issues. Of specific interest are user interfaces, learning and appropriate design features.
Calculator functions on bitmapped computers
Authors: Johnson Jeff
Published: January 2007

Many of the calculator functions that run on bitmapped workstations and personal computers are designed to simulate real hand-held calculators. Such a design allows rapid transfer of skill to an otherwise unfamiliar situation. However, such a design is naïve, in that simulated calculators inherit all of the problmes of real calculators and fail to exploit the opportunities for improvement that a graphics workstation provides.
A five-key mouse with built-in dialog control
Authors: Ohno Kunio , Fukaya Ken-ichi , Nievergelt Jurg
Published: January 2007

This paper proposes a standard man-machine dialog environment as realized by a mouse with built-in universal commands, and describes a manufactured prototype mouse. This mouse with five keys is designed to exploit the agility of the human hand to the utmost. In order to use this mouse for daily control in interactive systems, we introduce the concept of universal commands that facilitate visualization of the system state for data and commands, as well as the dialog history leading to the present state. We describe a recommended assignment of universal commands to the five mouse-keys. Finally, the hardware configuration of a prototype mouse is described in detail.
Book reivew: Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction ed. by Martin Helander (North-Holland 1988)
Authors: Nielsen Jakob
Published: January 2007

My conclusions are: If money grew on trees you should rush to the nearest bookstore to buy this book after stopping to pick a good handful of the green stuff. Unfortunately, money does not grow on trees where I come from, so unless you are in more fortunate circumstances you will probably have to settle for looking at the handbook in some library. I do recommend the purchase of the handbook by libraries that cater to larger communities of usability professionals.
The perceived usefulness of computer information sources
Authors: Granda Richard E. , Halstead-Nussloch Richard , Winters Joan M.
Published: January 2007

A joint IBM-SHARE field study surveyed 229 computer users about their use of a range of information sources. On a questionnaire, each respondent described a situation where information was required to use a computer. The respondent then specified all the information sources that were consulted, judged the degree to which each met the information needs, and estimated the time required to obtain the information. With a keyword technique, responses were coded to identify user cognitive states from the situation descriptions. Three unique cognitive states identified: Learning, Solving, and Refreshing.For learning and problem solving, the best online and human sources are used at about the same rate, 70% of the time; but, humans are rated more effective at 80% versus 60% for online sources. When effective, human sources require more time, on average 24 minutes versus 9 minutes for online sources. The conclusion drawn from the study is that human sources are rated more effective than online sources because humans have four critical advantages. They are interactive speakers and listeners. They can be selective in the information presented. Humans can query at multiple levels of discourse. Humans can assess the relevance of the information presented.
Pioneering HCI down under
Authors: Lindgaard Gitte
Published: January 2007

Similarities may, on occasion, be so striking as to confuse innocent onlookers into mistaking look-alikes for the real McCoy. CHISIG, the Australian body representing HCI down under may appear deceptively similar to SIGCHI, but the astute observer soon learns otherwise; we may carry similar names (although we pronounce our CHI as in "chives"); our reasons for being and our main interests certainly overlap, but that is probably as far as the resemblance goes. Considering the size, scope and dimension of SIGCHI, CHISIG may be likened to a mere baby taking its first clumsy, fumbling steps into the wide, exciting unknown.
The Zark library of utility functions
Authors: Bergquist Gary A.
Published: January 2007

The primary appeal of APL has always been its
productivity.
You can develop and maintain computer applications faster with APL than with any other high-level programming language. APL has a number of distinct traits that contribute to this productivity advantage over other languages. However, language productivity is only one side of the programmer productivity triangle. The other two are programmer experience and utility software. The programmer with the most productive language, the most experience, and the best utility software will develop better code, and faster than the programmer who is deficient in any of these three areas. Experienced APL programmers generally score well in the first two areas, but poorly in the third, probably because APL obviates the perceived need for high quality utility software. Programmers in other languages do not have this luxury and so tend to develop and rely upon more extensive and higher quality utility software. Consequently, the productivity advantage of APL programmers over other programmers is not as significant as it can be. ZarkLib, the Zark Library of Utility Functions, is a scheme that attempts to remedy this problem. It is both an extensive collection of APL utility software and a motivational scheme. It guarantees its growth and maintenance by employing a "pyramid" scheme that motivates APL programmers to give until it hurts, and then give again.
An object-oriented approach to educational software in building physics
Authors: Reichard Georg
Published: January 2007

An object-oriented building-physics software A.T.O.N. (which is the acronym for the German "General Thermal and Ecological Verifications") is described as an example for educational software written in APL. The software was developed at the Department for Structural Analysis at the Technical University of Graz, and has been successfully used for teaching building-physics. A.T.O.N. was designed in only four months. It comes with an user-friendly interface, which is easy and effortless to learn. Every manipulation of data is immediately monitored in graphical windows. In order to achieve this "question & answer"-concept a hybrid system was set up. This system consists of quick C- and Fortran-DLLs combined with the dyalogAPL™ interpreter using CausewayPro™ as an interactive development environment.
APL-generated teaching and testing items to enhance a student's ability to discover functional relationships
Authors: Surkan Alvin J.
Published: January 2007

Ideas and designs for programs to generate teaching examples are introduced. Some of these ideas are tested and demonstrated by a prototype
APL
program. Descriptions of the internal structure and requirements of the example generators are presented. The examples produced by the program are designed to motivate students to discover rules or relationships capable of mapping the in-domain inputs to correct outputs. Experimental examples used for demonstrating typical concepts and mathematical processes include the functions ρ, , x, +, ÷, | and with their intrinsic
APL
definitions. Initially, the types of arguments for these examples will be kept simple at first to promote learning such mathematical functions by permitting only single scalar arguments. Later, for discovery learning, the functions may be selected to permit or require arguments that are vector or array objects. An important component in the design of this system is parameter specification. Parameters determine the number of examples and their perspicuity. A student using the system may request additional examples that are easy to comprehend before the function is discovered from the program generated examples provided. The example-generating program also facilitates checking that establishes that a student's response is operationally equivalent to a correct one.
Fast I/O efficient file processing
Authors: McNichols Lori D.
Published: January 2007

APL is a very powerful language in array processing. When properly combined with file processing it can improve efficiency while dramatically reducing CPU and connect time. This paper will illustrate a technique that has been implemented at the Travelers Insurance Company using IBM's APL2 product running under TSO MVSIXA.
CONSTRUCTING EXAMINATIONS VIA APL
Authors: Randolph Paul H.
Published: January 2007

Tests that are administered over and over, semester after semester will soon become fixtures in various student files and thus will no longer measure achievement but only the cleverness of students in finding files and memorizing answers. By generating examinations in a random fashion by computer, new examinations are easily obtained whenever necessary. APL is an ideal language for this exam generation.
On the question of fill
Authors: Pesch Roland H.
Published: January 2007

Two unrelated areas of APL have become the basis for the notion of prototype in some groups of extensions to APL. One of these areas, which arises when new operators like Rank, or its special case Each, are considered, is the question of empty frames: what result to return when an expression specifies, roughly, that a function is to be applied to "no data". The second is: what elements should be used to "fill up" the result of expressions like
A↑B
or
B\D
, in which some elements of the result are to be taken from the right argument, but other elements may be needed to make a result of the proper shape.The paper "An Operator Calculus" [1] shows how the question of empty frames may be resolved, using a part of functions, without introducing the question of type, let alone that of prototypes.This note discusses an approach to the second question, in the context (and with the notation) of the line of APL development espoused by Iverson in "Rationalized APL" and related papers [2].
Processing multiple files
Authors: Rueda J.
Published: January 2007

Problems faced by an APL user in dealing with multiple files are explained, and a new approach to solve them based on finite-machine techniques is described.
Routing and handoff in the edge mobility architecture
Authors: O'Neill Alan , Corson M. Scott , Tsirtsis George
Published: January 2007

We consider a future IP network architecture in which the core topology is fixed but where the hosts at the edge of the network may be mobile, as is the case in cellular networks. Within this architecture, Mobile-Enhanced Routing (MER) protocols are used to support the prefix-routed requirements of the fixed Internet, along with the movement of IP addresses allocated to mobile nodes. We outline a specific components for the support of such edge mobility (EMA:MER) that offers fixed/mobile IP network convergence, homogeneous IP handoff across heterogeneous access technologies and inter-domain roaming across heterogeneous large-scale IP domains.
Review of "Programmer selection and programming errors by Bell, D." Computer J. 19, 3 (Aug. 1976), 202-206.
Authors: Abbey D. C.
Published: January 2007

During the six-month period February through July 1975,
Creative Computing
Magazine conducted a survey on people's attitudes toward computers and their role in society. Some 843 people responded in two highly computerized nations, the United States and Germany. About one-third of the respondents were educated or experienced in computer usage; two-thirds were not. Thirty-six percent of the respondents were classified as young people (20 and under) and students; the remainder were a relatively balanced cross-section of adults.
Review of "Readings in management information systems by Davis, Gordon B.; and Everest, Gordon C." McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, 1976.
Authors: Newpeck F. F.
Published: January 2007

This book presents the course outline for the Purdue University "Technology of Computer Center Management" course and refers briefly to recent experience of the authors in conducting it. The course goal is to explore technological and management tools which help computer center managers optimize system performance. Since it has five prerequisite courses, one can assume that it is quite advanced.
Review of "Graduate professional programs in information systems: a survey by Dickson, Gary W.; and Dock, V. Thomas." Interfaces 6, 1 (Nov. 1975), 38-43.
Authors: Willoughby T. C.
Published: January 2007

In his recent article regarding curriculum in information systems (IS), A Vazsonyi ["The information systems option in Master of Business Administration degree programs," Interfaces 4, 4 (Aug. 1974), 12-17.] references the "lack of consensus on what to do and wide disparity in status among schools." Unfortunately, neither Vazsonyi or anyone else has muc idea of what the "consensus" is or, for that matter, what the status is in this new academic area. Since the authors' institutions are engaged in graduate educational programs in information systems and we are frequently questioned about what others are doing, we set out to obtain a better understanding of what IS programs various schools have and the level of resources being devoted to graduate programs in information systems. Our findings should provide some interesting background on many of the assertions Vazsonyi makes concerning educational programs and the assumptions upon which they are based.
Review of "Systems training and its evaluation in the australian bureau of statistics by Muetzelfeldt, M. A.; Lonsdale, P. G.; and Edwards, R. A." in Proc. 6th Australian computer conf., Vol. 2, (Sydney, May 20-24, 1974), 1974, 673-683
Authors: Willoughby T. C.
Published: January 2007

Perhaps the most necessary but unappreciated writing is done by those individuals responsible for researching, organizing, and documenting procedures. These procedures might also be known as standard practices, methods bulletins, standard methods, standard operating procedures, and a host of other names. A lack of reading of these procedures is probably due more to the usual verbose, rambling style of the writing than the lack of need.
Review of "Managing the costs of information by Strassmann, Paul A." Harvard Business Review 54, 5 (Sept.-0ct. 1976), 133-142
Authors: Newpeck F. F.
Published: January 2007

The author, a former director of the Xerox Information Services Division, thinks that all labor costs surrounding the computer--at both the input end and the output end--must be identified, measured, and controlled. He correctly states that the data processing sector is pretty well defined and understood; this includes costs of computers, terminals, peripherals, data processing supplies, data communication, programming support, operating labor, and consulting. In 1973, $26 billion was spent in this area of information processing in the United States. In the same year, $43 billion was spent on what the author calls "administrative processing." This in- cludes everything from typewriters, word processors, and dictating equipment to telephone and Telex networks, recording devices, copiers and duplicators, facsimile transmission devices, microfilm equipment, office supplies, mail, and simple filing systems. A third area of expense involves people--the people who process applications, orders, and inquiries of all sorts. The author believes that the manager of information services has too often focused his attention on the first area while neglecting the total system identified by data processing, administrative processing, and the work that office labor does. The result is a piecemeal approach to cost control which no longer works in a system where the component parts are highly integrated. What is needed is to design self-adaptive cost control methods into each organization's systems and procedures.
The need for achievement among data processing personnel
Authors: Woodruff Charles K.
Published: January 2007

Over the past three decades we have seen advancements in computer technology that unquestionably have been phenomenal. No other technological development has had so great an impact on our everyday lives in such a short period of time. During this period, for example, we have seen computer hardware development advance to the point that we now debate the merits of a variety of fourth generation computer hardware concepts. Yet, during this same period, advancements in computer personnel research have not advanced beyond the first generation or initial plateau of sophistication. The most perplexing computer personnel problem we face today is the problem of personnel motivation.
Virtual grid symbolic layout
Authors: Weste Neil
Published: January 2007

Free form or “stick” type symbolic layout provides a means of simplifying the design of IC subcircuits. To successfully utilize this style of layout, a complete design approach and the necessary tools to support this methodology are required. In particular, one of the requirements of such a design method is the ability to “compact” the loosely specified topology to create a set of valid mask data. This paper presents a new compaction strtegy which uses the concept of a
virtual grid
. The compaction algorithm using the virtual grid is both simple and fast, an veniently interact with the algorithm to optimize a layout. In addition to the compaction algorithm, methods used to create large building blocks will be described. The work described here is part of a complete symbolic layout system called MULGA which is written in the C programming language and resides on the UNIX operating system.
More on Fortran coding conventions
Authors: Caffin R. N.
Published: January 2007

In a recent issue of Fortec Forum Metcalf [1] proposed a set of conventions which he felt are desirable for writing Fortran programs. The criteria were portability and programming style. While not objecting to the idea of having guidelines, I can not help raising a number of objections to the article.
SIGFORTH '89 workshop summary
Authors: Shaw George
Published: January 2007

The first annual SIGForth Real Time workshop just completed. From shaky pre-beginnings the conference was a splendid technical success though it was somewhat less successful financially. There were 27 attendees in all, with 31 presentations, more than ample to fill the noon Friday to noon Sunday schedule. Just prior to the workshop though, this was not the case.
ANS Forth report
Authors: Shaw George
Published: January 2007

During the last year (February 1988 to January 1989) much work has been completed on the ANS Forth Standard. The standards committee seems to be heading to require as little as possible but to standardize as much as possible. There are, of course, proponents and opponents of each side of this path. The standard will also encompass as many machines as possible. Not only will the standard allow n-bitness (16-bit virtual systems minimum) but will also allow other than twos-complement machines (specifically discussed are ones-complement machines). Math has been unbound from floored-division and is now programmer specified as floored or rounded toward zero. Minimal floating point and files are also specified. Some proposals are being considered on strings, RAM/ROM systems, and multitasking, with the current major struggle on vocabularies.
The Forth estate
Authors: Curley Charles
Published: January 2007

Welcome to the first issue of the
ACM SIGForth Newsletter!
This is more than Yet Another Publication (YAP). It marks what is probably the most public manifestation of a turning point for Forth as a professional software environment. SIGForth is the first organisation aimed specifically at the professional Forth programmer: the programmer who earns much of his living using Forth to write his code (or who would like to) i.e., the professional Forthwright.
Demise of the metacompiler in cmForth
Authors: Melvin Jay
Published: January 2007

Metacompilation is a technique of regenerating a computer's executive program by compiling itself to provide a new system. Traditional metacompilers manipulate memory space operators to distinguish between native, host and target memory so to enable use of much of the same source code for each space. The functions of the metacompiler are described. An innovation and simplification of Forth is shown to rest on a new implementation of the metacompiler's memory manager. A Glossary of terms is provided.
States
Authors: Hoselton Rick
Published: January 2007

Programmers are puzzle solvers, especially Forth programmers. But it is one thing to solve a puzzle, and quite another to program a machine to solve it. Here is an old puzzle, and a programmed solution. The techniques used here are useful in many situations. They may show you something new about problem solving, or maybe something new about Forth.
A string CASE statement for UR/FORTH
Authors: Frenger Paul
Published: January 2007

The
CASE
statement was created as a structured language construct in modern programming languages as an alternative to using nested
IF .. ELSE .. THEN
statements. Although some programmers think that
CASE
is unnecessary in Forth (it is not included in the 1983 standard), to my mind is proper use improves the readability of source code. Dr Eaker's version of the
CASE
construct [1] has become a recognized part of Forth lore and is provided by several vendors for the convenience of users.
Words from the chairman
Authors: Shaw George
Published: January 2007

Welcome to the second issue of the SIGForth newsletter. This one is coming to you a bit late (like the first issue) because we are experiencing some growing pains. Most notably, the loss of our esteemed Editor, Charles Curley.
Generic support for academic administrative computing
Authors: Steingraber Jack
Published: January 2007

The support for computing has changed and will continue to change as we move from infancy toward maturity. Major impacts and subtle adjustments will provide many opportunities for new and improved support requirements for computing users.
What does compatible mean?
Authors: Carstens Carol
Published: January 2007

The word
compatible
is not a universally defined term in the world of microcomputing. Many vendors who advertise their machines as "compatible" with better known machines do not distinguish between various levels of compatibility.
Ethics in computer-aided design
Authors: Gero John S.
Published: January 2007

It is one of the difficulties of the scientific approach to problem
solving that the variables need to be defined at the beginning of the investigation. This is further exacerbated when computer based techniques are applied because of the need to define variables explicitly. Current problem solving is directed to handling only well defined problems in which certain variables are assumed to be exogenous - the educational system schools people in methods for manipulating problems at this level. It appears that computer-aided design systems, in general, have not been able to incorporate any adequate value systems within them nor have they been able to provide a means of examining the problem in an ethos borader than the one defined at the outset. Both of these difficulties are considered within the ambit of ethics. It is suggested that subjective value systems can be easily incorporated with the use of interactive computing but that the 'ethics of the whole system' present a thornier problem.
An approach to pin assignment in printed circuit board design
Authors: Am Tran Dinh , Tanaka Masato , Nakagiri Yojiro
Published: January 2007

This paper presents a method for pin assignment and the procedure to
reassign a net to the other pins when its connection if failed.
Modeling and simulating complex spatial dynamic systems
Authors: Clark James D.
Published: January 2007

This papers describes a conceptual framework for modeling and simulating complex spatial dynamic systems. Trends in natural resource modeling indicate a move toward modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics in natural systems and the interactions of these systems with human and social behaviors. A framework for simultaneously and interactively modeling these dynamics is presented. This framework implements discrete event theory as a method for modeling the temporal system dynamics and cellular automata theory as a method for modeling the spatial system dynamics.
Performance modeling for fast IP lookups
Authors: Narlikar Girija , Zane Francis
Published: January 2007

In this paper, we examine algorithms and data structures for the longest prefix match operation required for routing IP packets. Previous work, aimed at hardware implementations, has focused on quantifying worst case lookup time and memory usage. With the advent of fast programmable platforms, whether network processor or PC-based, metrics which look instead at average case behavior and memory cache performance become more important. To address this, we consider a family of data structures capturing the important techniques used in known fast IP lookup schemes. For these data structures, we construct a model which, given an input trace, estimates cache miss rates and predicts average case lookup performance. This model is validated using traces with varying characteristics. Using the model, we then choose the best data structure from this family for particular hardware platforms and input traces; we find that the optimal data structure differs in different settings. The model can also be used to select the appropriate hardware configurations for future lookup engines. The lookup performance of the selected data structures is competitive with the fastest available software implementations.
Scheduling computations on a software-based router
Authors: Qie Xiaohu , Bavier Andy , Peterson Larry , Karlin Scott
Published: January 2007

Recent efforts to add new services to the Internet have increased the interest in software-based routers that are easy to extend and evolve. This paper describes our experiences implementing a software-based router, with a particular focus on the main difficulty we encountered: how to schedule the router's CPU cycles. The scheduling decision is complicated by the desire to differentiate the level of service for different packet flows, which leads to two fundamental conflicts: (1) assigning processor shares in a way that keeps the processes along the forwarding path in balance while meeting QoS promises, and (2) adjusting the level of batching in a way that minimizes overhead while meeting QoS promises.
Predictability requirements of a soft modem
Authors: Jones Michael B. , Saroiu Stefan
Published: January 2007

Soft Modems
use the main processor to execute modem functions traditionally performed by hardware on the modem card. To function correctly, soft modems require that ongoing signal processing computations be performed on the host CPU in a timely manner. Thus, signal processing is a commonly occurring background real-time application---one running on systems that were not designed to support predictable real-time execution. This paper presents a detailed study of the performance characteristics and resource requirements of a popular soft modem. Understanding these requirements should inform the efforts of those designing and building operating systems needing to support soft modems. Furthermore, we believe that the conclusions of this study also apply to other existing and upcoming soft devices, such as soft Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) cards. We conclude that (1) signal processing in an interrupt handler is not only unnecessary but also detrimental to the predictability of other computations in the system and (2) a real-time scheduler can provide predictability for the soft modem while minimizing its impact on other computations in the system.
Improving dynamic voltage scaling algorithms with
PACE
Authors: Lorch Jacob R. , Smith Alan Jay
Published: January 2007

This paper addresses algorithms for dynamically varying (scaling) CPU speed and voltage in order to save energy. Such scaling is useful and effective when it is immaterial when a task completes, as long as it meets some deadline. We show how to modify any scaling algorithm to keep performance the same but minimize expected energy consumption. We refer to our approach as PACE (Processor Acceleration to Conserve Energy) since the resulting schedule increases speed as the task progresses. Since PACE depends on the probability distribution of the task's work requirement, we present methods for estimating this distribution and evaluate these methods on a variety of real workloads. We also show how to approximate the optimal schedule with one that changes speed a limited number of times. Using PACE causes very little additional overhead, and yields substantial reductions in CPU energy consumption. Simulations using real workloads show it reduces the CPU energy consumption of previously published algorithms by up to 49.5%, with an average of 20.6%, without any effect on performance.
A time-stamping algorithm for efficient performance estimation of superscalar processors
Authors: Loh Gabriel
Published: January 2007

The increasing complexity of modern superscalar microprocessors makes the evaluation of new designs and techniques much more difficult. Fast and accurate methods for simulating program execution on realistic and hypothetical processor models are of great interest to many computer architects and compiler writers. There are many existing techniques, from profile based runtime estimation to complete cycle-level simulations. Many researchers choose to sacrifice the speed of profiling for the accuracy obtainable by cycle-level simulators. This paper presents a technique that provides accurate performance predictions, while avoiding the complexity associated with a complete processor emulator. The approach augments a fast in-order simulator with a time-stamping algorithm that provides a very good estimate of program running time. This algorithm achieves an average accuracy that is within 7.5% of a cycle-level out-of-order simulator in approximately 41% of the running time on the eight SPECInt95 integer benchmarks.
On optimal traffic grooming in WDM rings
Authors: Dutta Rudra , Rouskas George N.
Published: January 2007

We consider the problem of designing a virtual topology to minimize electronic routing, that is, grooming traffic, in wavelength routed optical rings. We present a new framework consisting of a sequence of bounds, both upper and lower, in which each successive bound is at least as strong as the previous one. The successive bounds take larger amounts of computation to evaluate, and the number of bounds to be evaluated for a given problem instance is only limited by the computational power available. The bounds are based on decomposing the ring into sets of nodes arranged in a path, and adopting the locally optimal topology within each set. Our approach can be applied to many virtual topology problems on rings. The upper bounds we obtain also provide a useful series of heuristic solutions.