a heathkit method for building data management programs
One of the difficulties faced in implementing information management and retrieval systems is that each case seems to present its own special complexities. As a result information retrieval systems typically fall behind their programming schedule and have many bugs when delivered. In this paper a set of basic operations on types of files are defined. These operations are intended to fulfill the same role for information retrieval systems programmers that functions such as LOG(X) fill for mathematical applications programmers.. they should make the job very much easier. The file operations have been implemented as a run-time package written in FORTRAN IV and Burroughs Extended Algol. The approach has been used to develop three different information management systems; an APL interactive computing system, a generalized information retrieval system, and a specialized information retrieval system for map oriented data. These systems are described.
information management information retrieval paging file management graphics systems programming interactive programming