Toolcraft
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2007-08-29-17:59 -0700
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Toolcraft |
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For deeper, practical understanding of nfoWare topics, it is important to work with a personal computer and available software tools. Some tools are provided with nfoWare. Other tools are recommended. Still other tools are required for building the nfoWare tools, if you choose to go that far. To explore, construct, and modify the nfoWare tools, you'll need an understanding of the tools that are used to do that. That's where Toolcraft comes in.
Toolcraft is about the peculiar details of different families of computer and software tools. Although you might understand the concepts of such tools, working smoothly with them requires fluency in the associated toolcraft.
Toolcraft is not often recognized as such. Toolcraft is simply understood to some degree by those who have been immersed in it. To a practitioner, it is automatic. To an observer, it is all mystery and error-prone dangers.
Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows users live and operate in different toolcrafts. Unix and GNU/Linux users have yet another set, as do Java developers. In my early career, there were quite different toolcrafts, including everyday technical language and nomenclature, between programmers for Univac systems and programmers for other computers, whether from IBM, Burroughs, or many other long-forgotten computer manufacturers.
Toolcraft and its automatic and reflex-like reliance is a barrier to communication and shared understanding. Practitioners often don't realize that they have picked up a toolcraft, and are actually unable to explain it to others (not unlike a parent attempting to teach another family member to operate an automobile). In addition, toolcraft interferes with recognition of the common principles, practices, and fundamental concepts of information processing.
It doesn't seem possible to eliminate toolcraft. Instead, here are tutorials and documentation that supports initial experience and self-guided exploration of some popular toolcraft. In seeing the principles behind a few toolcrafts, you may find it easier to recognize and teach yourself other ones. Here are the main topics identified so far. You'll quickly notice that nfoWare has some of its own toolcraft:
t000000: The Toolcraft Diary & Job Jar
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created 2007-08-10-13:51 -0700 (pdt) by
orcmid |