Practical Consequences
Selection of rules for formal representations of real world applications, corresponds to writing a program. Writing programs is independent from the actual programming language and basically requires the translation of the domain specific knowledge of the user into the formal rules operating a turing machine. It is this transfer from contextual knowledge into formal representation which cannot be automatized with respect to the theoretical limitations of computation. Consequently any mapping from real world applications into computer applications requires a certain amount of technical background knowledge by the user, where the semantic gap manifests itself.
It is a fundamental task of software engineering to close the gap between application specific knowledge and technically doable formalization. For this purpose domain specific (high-level) knowledge must be transferred into an algorithm and its parameters (low-level). This requires the dialogue between user and developer. Aim is always a software which allows the user to represent his knowledge as parameters of an algorithm without knowing the details of the implementation, and to interpret the outcome of the algorithm without the aid of the developer. For this purpose user interfaces play the key role in software design, while developers are supported by frameworks which help organizing the integration of contextual information.
Read more about this topic: Semantic Gap
Famous quotes containing the words practical and/or consequences:
“I do not remember anything which Confucius has said directly respecting man’s “origin, purpose, and destiny.” He was more practical than that. He is full of wisdom applied to human relations,—to the private life,—the family,—government, etc. It is remarkable that, according to his own account, the sum and substance of his teaching is, as you know, to do as you would be done by.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Results are what you expect, and consequences are what you get.”
—schoolgirl’s definition, quoted in Ladies’ Home Journal (New York, Jan. 1942)