In <1992Jun10.201404.14290 at nic.funet.fi> harper at convex.csc.FI
(Rob Harper) writes:
> Anyone interested in the CDROM/networking debate should read
> this article. (Might be one or two months old)
I got a few personal queries regarding this article. Here is the full
reference if you want to get the lowdown on the trends that are happening
in biocomputing.
HACKING THE GENOME by Deborah Erikson.
Scientific American: April 1992 p. 98-105
Quotes:
For CDROM.
"Lipman hopes NCBI's current offerings will just be the beginning of
a far more extensive GENINFO database he would like to see distributed
on CD-ROM every two months. Researchers who have very limited computer
facilities or do not want the bother of being connected to wide area
networks could use the data."
For NETWORKING.
"Branscomb and Selzak demonstrated how SQL enables online realtime data
retrieval through computer networks such as Internet... from a hotel
auditorium in San Diego they used computer workstations to connect to
three independant databases across the country and simultaneously fetch
information from each."
For STANDARDIZATION.
"We're deliberately making the data standardized to encourage commercial
involvement, Lipman asserts"
For FLEXABIITY
"But the idea of requiring a fixed description language for all important
data rankles some researchers and other data-base builders who argue that
it compromises needed flexibility in manipulating raw data in new ways, and
is impractical for most data being produced by the genome project."
I suppose that by picking out these quotes I have tended to show just how
polarized the debate is. If you read the article you come away with the
feeling that everyone thinks that their own particular solution is the best.
And there are obvious differences of opinion between the top players on the
pitch... that is life.
However it is the enduser and the money in his pocketbook that ultimately
decides on which option to go for.
Me??? I want everything... and NOW.
-=ROB=-
--
Rob Harper / E-mail: harper at convex.csc.fi
Finnish State Computer Centre / Molbio/software: harper at nic.funet.fi
P.O. Box 40, SF-02101 Espoo / Telephone: +358 0 457 2076
Finland / Fax: +358 0 457 2302
