The Software for Cultures and the Cultures in Software  

Software is viewed as an artifact which interacts with cultures of societies in which it functions. Software manufacturers make efforts to adapt the appearance of their products to aesthetic and historical values of the markets in which they are sold (“software for cultures”). It is well known that software embeds behavioral and organizational principles that are culture-determined (“cultures in software”). Internet and e-commerce bring these phenomena into the fore of the debate on societal implications of Information Technology. The paper argues for a research agenda on the multifaceted interactions between software and culture.

Kersten, Gregory E., Stan Matwin, Sunil J. Noronha and Mik A. Kersten. University of Ottawa (1999). Articles>User Centered Design>Software

Statement of Principles for the Management of Copyright in the Digital Environment

As the twin technologies of computing and telecommunications revolutionize the way in which knowledge and information is recorded, accessed, disseminated and stored, the modes of communication among scholars and researchers are changing rapidly. But just as these technologies can make possible the wide dissemination of copyright material that may violate the rights of the owner, so the technology can be used to prevent reasonable and necessary access to knowledge. Such access is essential to the generation of new knowledge. If access to information for research, teaching and study purposes is constrained, Canada's long-term economic and cultural growth will be hobbled.

University of Ottawa (2000). Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>Canada

Technical Writing and SGML

Questions and assertions have come up with increasing frequency lately regarding the role of the technical writer in an SGML-based production environment. The recent discussions can be characterized by several, sometimes contradictory, assertions and assumptions.

University of Ottawa (1999). Articles>Writing>SGML