https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/23891 Thu, 07 May 2026 10:30:59 GMT 2026-05-07T10:30:59Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/25446 A pragmatic approach to development information to provide service on a wide scale Mncube, SS The rapid technological growth in our time has produced an explosion of information. This, in tum, has spawned information systems based on the use of computers and automated systems. These mechanised devices with their seemingly infinite capacity to store and retrieve knowledge on command have myriad applications. But the use of computer and automated information devices pose serious problems to individuals, groups and societies on an inter­national scale in disseminating the available information. This is even more true in information flow between regions with high information capabilities than in those that have little or none. The information flow between these regions has been varied and frequently haphazard whenever it has existed. In this context the philosophy for development infor­mation speaks to interdependence and humanitarian con­cern in information flow to various regions of the earth. Information must be perceived as a universal entity. The initial failure of one region and the ability of another to acquire information should not dictate a permanent global de­marcation into 'developed and less developed' categories. Mon, 01 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/25446 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24406 Dynamic deadlock avoidance: a prototype Blewett, CN; Erwin, GJ In this paper, we describe a prototype of an expert system software advisor for the deadlock treatment of a lock manager in a database system. The software advisor, called EAGLE (External Advisor for Granting Locks Expertly), maintains a record of lock requests and lock status within a simulated database management system environment processing transactions. The sequence of lock information is held as a script(s). EAGLE matches lock request sequences against previously stored scripts. As EAGLE gains experience of lock event sequences leading to deadlock, it recognises patterns which have led to deadlock, and dynamically objects to the further granting of locks which would repeat a previous deadlock-inducing sequence of locks. This paper describes the design of EAGLE, EAGLE's dynamic deadlock avoidance (DDA) technique, and presents preliminary results from the EAGLE prototype compared with a simulated Deadlock Detection and Resolution technique (DLD). Mon, 01 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24406 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24223 The practice of clausification in automatic theorem proving Sutcliffe, G; Melville, S In the process of resolution based Automatic Theorem Proving, problems expressed in First Order Form (FOF) are transformed by a clausifier to Clause Normal Form (CNF). This research examines and compares clausifiers. The boundaries between clausification, simplification, and solution search are delineated, and common clausification and simplification operations are documented. Four known clausifiers are evaluated, thus providing insight into their relative performance, and also providing baseline data for future evaluation of clausifiers. Mon, 01 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24223 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24222 The new IS'95 curriculum Smith, DC The recent acceptance of South Africa as a world player and the government's reconstruction and development programme (RDP) have created new challenges and opportunities for business and universities. The Information Systems (IS) environ­ment continues to change rapidly and degree curricula must be carefully planned to cater for current and future business requirements. This article reports on the ongoing efforts of a major IS academic taskforce to model an undergraduate degree curriculum in information systems. Recommendations are made regarding the potential of adopting such a curriculum in South Africa to increase the synergy within and between IS departments and to allow orderly progress towards professional accreditation and increased professionalism in the IS industry. Mon, 01 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/24222 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z