Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 17, No. 230.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
www.princeton.edu/humanist/
Submit to: humanist@princeton.edu
Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 09:08:27 +0100
From: Willard McCarty <willard@mccarty.me.uk>
Subject: waterfall diagram?
Among the images I have collected (without, alas, recording where I got it)
is one whose origin I would like to find -- so that I can cite or reproduce
it in print. I have put it online, at
http://ilex.cc.kcl.ac.uk/q/waterfall-image.jpg. It is a so-called
"waterfall diagram" of the process of designing a computing system. The
diagram shows the derivation of a machine as operational model of a system
from a real-world (physical) system through four processes: systems
analysis, which generates a computational model of the real-world system
without reference to specific implementation; specification and design,
which generates from the previous a model in terms of specific
implementation; programming, which generates a model in terms of a
finite-state machine; and finally, hardware design, which generates the
machine itself.
Does anyone know where this diagram or similar ones might be found? For
some years I have used what I've called a "layer-cake" diagram to introduce
the topic of computing system design to 1st-year students -- a hardware
layer, followed by a ROM layer, an OS layer, an applications layer and so
forth. I assume diagrams of this kind are quite common. Pointers to them
would be most welcome.
Thanks.
Yours,
WM
Dr Willard McCarty | Senior Lecturer | Centre for Computing in the
Humanities | King's College London | Strand | London WC2R 2LS || +44 (0)20
7848-2784 fax: -2980 || willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk
www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/
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