Computers in Context: The Philosophy and Practice of System Design

By Lars Mathiassen and Bo Dahlbom

Book Overview

When software systems are delivered too late, when they fail to meet the needs of their users, when only a fraction of their capacity is used, when their maintenance costs more than their development, when changes are impossible - then there is a frantic search for new and better engineering techniques and tools. Dahlbom ande Mathiassen advocate a different approach to these problems: pausing and reflection. Surprisingly little time in the education of systems developers is devoted to a consideration of the methods, goals and politics of computerization. The core of the book is an examination of the notion of quality itself. The effective computer professional must arrive at his or her sense of what quality can and should mean in a particular situation in order to resolve the inevitable creative tensions between the nature of people and that of computers, between structured systems and the process of change. The authors draw on a rich range of literature from philosophy, organizational theory, and technology and social change to support their points. But, adducing many real-life examples they avoid jargon and presuppose no formal background. Computer in Context will help students, computer professionals, and managers alike understand better what it is they are trying to do with computer systems, how and why.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557864055
• ISBN13: 9781557864055
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ask yourself "Do I really need to spend money...."

Ask yourself "Do I really need to spend money on a system to automate a task when it works already to a satisfactory level?". It may be that buying and installing the equipment to automate the task causes more problems than it solves. We don't need to buy equipment to perform a task that works already, especially if the consequences can include apparently random problems that we don't have knowledge of, or aren't trained for. If you've never thought of these questions (and loads more besides) then read this book. You might find answers and you'll be glad you did.

The unvealing book about systems development dynamics

This book is very important for all those people dealing with IT and Organizations. It gives very good insights into different perspectives from which the relation between technology, people, and organizations must be considered. I recommend this book to practitioners and experts who already had the chance to face the problem in systems development and introduction into organizations. Finally, a book which does what any good book should do: make you think. Don't expect good answers, find instead the right questions.

Next episode of the X-files?

Karl Marx goes Techno. That was the first thought that came to mind having glanced through this book. Plato, Descartes, and Hegel were not the kind of guys I was expecting to meet in a book on Computer Systems Development. A few years ago I would have shredded this publication after having read the introduction but since I'm now a more mature person I kept reading and guess what - it didn't turn out bad at all! Ok, maybe it raises more questions than it provides answers but, hey, if the reader has to think for himself - so what? Most of the questions are worth reflecting upon and the book provides many new points of view for those of us who are open to change, willing to develop, unafraid of the unknown, etc. It not quite like the X-files but this book is deeper than it looks. Read it, but don't do it alone (at least you'll need a fully trained philosopher to help you understand some of the sections).