Business Case: Files, Documents, and Suites

Hello, all - 

DOCUMENT - from
<http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci211982,00.html>

A document is a form of information. A document can be put into an
electronic form and stored in a computer as one or more files. Often a
single document becomes a single file. 

An entire document or individual parts may be treated as individual data
items. As files or data, a document may be part of a database. Electronic
Document Management (EDM) deals with the management of electronically-stored
documents.

When using certain computer application programs such as a word processor, a
document is the unit of saved work. Each document is saved as a uniquely
named file

FILE - from
<http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci212118,00.html> 

In any computer system but especially in personal computers, a file is an
entity of data available to system users (including the system itself and
its application programs) that is capable of being manipulated as an entity
(for example, moved from one file directory to another). The file must have
a unique name within its own directory.

A document and a file could be the same; however, often it is not. For
example:

1. Thau's JavaScript Tutorial
<http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/98/03/index0a.html?tw=javascript>
If this were in printed form, it would be one document. In Web form, I think
it fits the definition of a document "put into an electronic form and stored
in a computer as one or more files."

There are 58 pages/files in the tutorial. I just don't see this tutorial as
58 separate documents/forms of information. It's one tutorial, not 58.

2. A CSS Redesign in Five Easy Pages
<http://www.alistapart.com/stories/journey/>
There is one article (document) here in five files that the author refers to
as pages, including a text on each page informing what page the user is on -
for example, "Page 2 of this story". I don't think the author sees his
article as five documents.

In summary, to consider whether or not a multi-paged EOWG document should be
a suite or simply a document is a judgment call, not a matter of number of
files the document is on the Web. Rather than go by file structure, I feel
we should look at how the user would perceive and relate to the document.

I feel the Business Case is one document, not a suite, because its subject
matter is one - Building the Case for Web Accessibility - with only five
pages that cover different aspects of building that case. To call it a suite
- a group of things forming a unit or constituting a collection (m-w.com) -
suggests that it is a group or collection of articles. 

I relate to the Business Case as one topic, but if most people related to it
as a suite because of its content and not its file structure, I would go
with that. But, I don't feel it should be called a suite based on technical
definitions of files and documents. 

Regards, 

Blossom
______________________________
Blossom Michaeloff
Web Research & Design
Wells Fargo
415.222.3045
415.646.9136 fax
michaeka@wellsfargo.com

Received on Thursday, 15 May 2003 22:39:47 UTC