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IMCL reference manual
Computer Standards & Interfaces 15 (1993) 319-320 North-Holland
319
Book reviews Compositional Data Objects, The IMC/IMCL Reference Manual, by Reiner Durchholz and Gernot Richter. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1992. ISBN 0-471-93470-4. 187 pages. Illustrated, Appendices, 98 references, extended Index. Two main chapters build the substance of this book, IMC: information modelling by composition, and 1MCL: an IMC language. The authors are with G M D , the G e r m a n society for mathematics and data processing. They worked in this field since the seventies when they started research on a formal system of information management concepts (IMC), later translated as 'information modelling by composition'. Discussion and results have been published continuously. The authors summarize in their preface that " I M C / I M C L comprises three major items: (i) a formal system of concepts for compositional information modelling, (ii) a set of graphical symbols and syntactic rules for the exact representation of compositional properties of information structures, and (iii) a first-order language for specifying arbitrarily nested information structures both on the specific and on the generic level. Experience and observation show that the compositional view of information structure is still a favorite way of thinking for many users. Data designers on all levels tend to think in terms of composition when they model information
about the application world. They want this view to be supported at the interface of their application system. To the extent to which this is true, I M C / I M C L is claimed to be an appropriate choice". The book has been sub-titled as " R e f e r e n c e Manual". But it is more. There are basic concepts and definitions described in so-called "essential sections". Additionally there are supplementary and illustrative parts which give background, examples and a number of special constructs and concepts. Therefore, it seems to be a good book to learn about data models and information structures as well as I M C / I M C L itself. It is wellwritten, good strutured and can be recommended for information system designers, database designers, software developers, high-level programmers - "in fact, for anyone who needs a formal method to enable accurate analysis, description and manipulation of compositional data objects", as the authors state.
Harald Schumny
Nanosystems - Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, by K. Eric Drexler. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1992. ISBN 0-471-57518-6. 556 pages. Illustrated, Appendices, Glossary with detailed explanations, 337 references, extended Index. The very first statement on page i is: "With this book, Drexler has established the field of molecular nanotechnology. The detailed analyses show quantum chemists and synthetic chemists how to build upon their knowledge of bonds and molecules to develop the manufacturing systems of nanotechnology, and show physicists and engineers how to scale down their concepts of macroscopic systems to the level of molecules." Drexler meets this assessment by presentation of 576 pages in all full with physical principles, descrip-
tion of nanoscale components and systems, and discussion of implementation strategies. First of all and in a vivid manner the author describes what molecular manufacturing is (e.g. it is pointed out that "mechanosynthesis - the mechanically guided chemical synthesis - is fundamental to molecular manufacturing"). Examples are given as well as comparisons to conventional fabrication and mechanical engineering. The main part of the book starts with a theoretical treatise including e.g. scaling laws, quantum theory and
0920-54{49/93/$06.00 ~) 1993 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved
319
Book reviews Compositional Data Objects, The IMC/IMCL Reference Manual, by Reiner Durchholz and Gernot Richter. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1992. ISBN 0-471-93470-4. 187 pages. Illustrated, Appendices, 98 references, extended Index. Two main chapters build the substance of this book, IMC: information modelling by composition, and 1MCL: an IMC language. The authors are with G M D , the G e r m a n society for mathematics and data processing. They worked in this field since the seventies when they started research on a formal system of information management concepts (IMC), later translated as 'information modelling by composition'. Discussion and results have been published continuously. The authors summarize in their preface that " I M C / I M C L comprises three major items: (i) a formal system of concepts for compositional information modelling, (ii) a set of graphical symbols and syntactic rules for the exact representation of compositional properties of information structures, and (iii) a first-order language for specifying arbitrarily nested information structures both on the specific and on the generic level. Experience and observation show that the compositional view of information structure is still a favorite way of thinking for many users. Data designers on all levels tend to think in terms of composition when they model information
about the application world. They want this view to be supported at the interface of their application system. To the extent to which this is true, I M C / I M C L is claimed to be an appropriate choice". The book has been sub-titled as " R e f e r e n c e Manual". But it is more. There are basic concepts and definitions described in so-called "essential sections". Additionally there are supplementary and illustrative parts which give background, examples and a number of special constructs and concepts. Therefore, it seems to be a good book to learn about data models and information structures as well as I M C / I M C L itself. It is wellwritten, good strutured and can be recommended for information system designers, database designers, software developers, high-level programmers - "in fact, for anyone who needs a formal method to enable accurate analysis, description and manipulation of compositional data objects", as the authors state.
Harald Schumny
Nanosystems - Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, by K. Eric Drexler. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1992. ISBN 0-471-57518-6. 556 pages. Illustrated, Appendices, Glossary with detailed explanations, 337 references, extended Index. The very first statement on page i is: "With this book, Drexler has established the field of molecular nanotechnology. The detailed analyses show quantum chemists and synthetic chemists how to build upon their knowledge of bonds and molecules to develop the manufacturing systems of nanotechnology, and show physicists and engineers how to scale down their concepts of macroscopic systems to the level of molecules." Drexler meets this assessment by presentation of 576 pages in all full with physical principles, descrip-
tion of nanoscale components and systems, and discussion of implementation strategies. First of all and in a vivid manner the author describes what molecular manufacturing is (e.g. it is pointed out that "mechanosynthesis - the mechanically guided chemical synthesis - is fundamental to molecular manufacturing"). Examples are given as well as comparisons to conventional fabrication and mechanical engineering. The main part of the book starts with a theoretical treatise including e.g. scaling laws, quantum theory and
0920-54{49/93/$06.00 ~) 1993 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved