[8567] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Multimedia has been patented (really: software archiving/searching)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barry Shein)
Mon Nov 22 19:27:57 1993
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1993 19:27:27 -0500
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
To: com-priv@psi.com
A MODEST PROPOSAL...
I think the time is long overdue to sit down with some library science
types and come up with a scheme for cataloguing software based on
something similar to the Library of Congress catalogue schemes
incorporating major application area, minor application areas, perhaps
source language, etc into one tidy (as is practical) scheme (think:
catalogue number or ISSN etc.)
This would be extremely useful in numerous contexts.
I realize some of the difficulties (e.g. a standardized method of
assignation), but I don't believe any stand in the way of devising a
scheme and fall mostly in the realm of what you do with it once it's
been codified. Even so, a badly applied scheme would be far superior
to the current chaos. Failings can be repaired incrementally over the
next few centuries, better methods (e.g. Q&A programs) to help authors
suggest catalogue numbers developed, etc.
-Barry Shein
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