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Posted to user@struts.apache.org by Bill Johnson <pe...@yahoo.com> on 2003/04/15 04:19:26 UTC
[OT] orthogonal?
Excuse my ignorance but what does this mean in
relation to software and computers? I see it
referenced all the time in articles and books and
wasn't quite sure of it's meaning.
-Bill
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Re: [OT] orthogonal?
Posted by Jeff Smith <je...@centralscheduling.net>.
Having read through that briefly, I think they're saying something more
like:
1) Localize every piece of information to just one place.
For us, take the example of using Global Constants to ensure that there is
only one place in our code where we actually type the text string "success".
Everywhere else we just refer to that string as a global constant. (Okay, it
doesn't work for the config files, but you get my point.) This is their
"don't repeat anything" part.
2) Compartmentalize everything
This is just good OO design, but it bears repeating. Don't put things in
class/structure/file/module A that dink with things belonging to
class/structure/file/module B. This is their "orthogonal" part.
The meaning of orthogonal really doesn't have anything to do with
repetition. The two concepts are, you guessed it, orthogonal.
Jefficus
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Johnson" <pe...@yahoo.com>
To: "Struts Users Mailing List" <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: [OT] orthogonal?
> Thanks for the info. I think I get it.
>
> http://www.artima.com/intv/dry.html
>
> This article mentions "In this installment, they
> discuss the importance of keeping your system
> orthogonal, and the real meaning the DRY, or Don't
> Repeat Yourself, principle."
>
> So in that case when say "keeping your system
> orthogonal" they mean keep every piece different from
> another and don't repeat anything?
>
> -Bill
>
> --- Jeff Smith <je...@centralscheduling.net> wrote:
> > Finally a question on this list I feel confident in
> > answering. :-)
> >
> > Two concepts or issues are referred to as
> > "orthogonal" when they do not
> > influence one another or more specifically - when
> > issues in one domain do
> > not effect anything in the other domain.
> >
> > Taking a real-world example, you might say that two
> > concepts like gender and
> > hair-color are orthogonal, whereas gender and height
> > would not be (men
> > tending to be taller than women).
> >
> > The term originates (at least in my
> > world-experience-view) from the field of
> > vector algebra, in which vectors which are at right
> > angles to each other are
> > termed "orthogonal". Consider the x axis and y axis
> > vectors. No amount of
> > adding multiples of the x-direction unit vector to
> > another quantity will
> > ever effect its Y axis value. (Had to put that in
> > for all us math geeks.)
> >
> > In the math world, the opposite of "orthogonal"
> > would be "parallel". And in
> > the generic sense in which you're asking, the
> > opposite might better be
> > termed "overlapping". A compiler and an image editor
> > might be orthogonal
> > software systems, whereas a text editor and a word
> > processor would be
> > overlapping. And in the extreme, you might say that
> > MS Word and WordPerfect
> > are strongly overlapping. (I'm not aware of a better
> > generic term for the
> > opposite of orthogonal in the non-vector sense. But
> > I'm sure I am about to
> > be deluged with suggestions. :-)
> >
> > Hope that explains it for you.
> >
> > Jefficus
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bill Johnson" <pe...@yahoo.com>
> > To: <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
> > Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:19 PM
> > Subject: [OT] orthogonal?
> >
> >
> > > Excuse my ignorance but what does this mean in
> > > relation to software and computers? I see it
> > > referenced all the time in articles and books and
> > > wasn't quite sure of it's meaning.
> > >
> > > -Bill
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
> > > http://search.yahoo.com
> > >
> > >
> >
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> > struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
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> > struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
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>
>
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Re: [OT] orthogonal?
Posted by Bill Johnson <pe...@yahoo.com>.
Thanks for the info. I think I get it.
http://www.artima.com/intv/dry.html
This article mentions "In this installment, they
discuss the importance of keeping your system
orthogonal, and the real meaning the DRY, or Don't
Repeat Yourself, principle."
So in that case when say "keeping your system
orthogonal" they mean keep every piece different from
another and don't repeat anything?
-Bill
--- Jeff Smith <je...@centralscheduling.net> wrote:
> Finally a question on this list I feel confident in
> answering. :-)
>
> Two concepts or issues are referred to as
> "orthogonal" when they do not
> influence one another or more specifically - when
> issues in one domain do
> not effect anything in the other domain.
>
> Taking a real-world example, you might say that two
> concepts like gender and
> hair-color are orthogonal, whereas gender and height
> would not be (men
> tending to be taller than women).
>
> The term originates (at least in my
> world-experience-view) from the field of
> vector algebra, in which vectors which are at right
> angles to each other are
> termed "orthogonal". Consider the x axis and y axis
> vectors. No amount of
> adding multiples of the x-direction unit vector to
> another quantity will
> ever effect its Y axis value. (Had to put that in
> for all us math geeks.)
>
> In the math world, the opposite of "orthogonal"
> would be "parallel". And in
> the generic sense in which you're asking, the
> opposite might better be
> termed "overlapping". A compiler and an image editor
> might be orthogonal
> software systems, whereas a text editor and a word
> processor would be
> overlapping. And in the extreme, you might say that
> MS Word and WordPerfect
> are strongly overlapping. (I'm not aware of a better
> generic term for the
> opposite of orthogonal in the non-vector sense. But
> I'm sure I am about to
> be deluged with suggestions. :-)
>
> Hope that explains it for you.
>
> Jefficus
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill Johnson" <pe...@yahoo.com>
> To: <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:19 PM
> Subject: [OT] orthogonal?
>
>
> > Excuse my ignorance but what does this mean in
> > relation to software and computers? I see it
> > referenced all the time in articles and books and
> > wasn't quite sure of it's meaning.
> >
> > -Bill
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
> > http://search.yahoo.com
> >
> >
>
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> > To unsubscribe, e-mail:
> struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
> > For additional commands, e-mail:
> struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
> >
>
>
>
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__________________________________________________
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Re: [OT] orthogonal?
Posted by Jeff Smith <je...@centralscheduling.net>.
Finally a question on this list I feel confident in answering. :-)
Two concepts or issues are referred to as "orthogonal" when they do not
influence one another or more specifically - when issues in one domain do
not effect anything in the other domain.
Taking a real-world example, you might say that two concepts like gender and
hair-color are orthogonal, whereas gender and height would not be (men
tending to be taller than women).
The term originates (at least in my world-experience-view) from the field of
vector algebra, in which vectors which are at right angles to each other are
termed "orthogonal". Consider the x axis and y axis vectors. No amount of
adding multiples of the x-direction unit vector to another quantity will
ever effect its Y axis value. (Had to put that in for all us math geeks.)
In the math world, the opposite of "orthogonal" would be "parallel". And in
the generic sense in which you're asking, the opposite might better be
termed "overlapping". A compiler and an image editor might be orthogonal
software systems, whereas a text editor and a word processor would be
overlapping. And in the extreme, you might say that MS Word and WordPerfect
are strongly overlapping. (I'm not aware of a better generic term for the
opposite of orthogonal in the non-vector sense. But I'm sure I am about to
be deluged with suggestions. :-)
Hope that explains it for you.
Jefficus
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Johnson" <pe...@yahoo.com>
To: <st...@jakarta.apache.org>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:19 PM
Subject: [OT] orthogonal?
> Excuse my ignorance but what does this mean in
> relation to software and computers? I see it
> referenced all the time in articles and books and
> wasn't quite sure of it's meaning.
>
> -Bill
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
> http://search.yahoo.com
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: struts-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: struts-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
>
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