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Brittleness and bureaucracy : software as a material for science
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Spencer, Matthew (2015) Brittleness and bureaucracy : software as a material for science. Perspectives on Science, 23 (4). pp. 466-484. doi:10.1162/POSC_a_00184 ISSN 1063-6145.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/POSC_a_00184
Abstract
Through examining a case study of a major fluids modelling code, this paper charts two key properties of software as a material for building models. Scientific software development is characterized by piecemeal growth, and as a code expands, it begins to manifest frustrating properties that provide an important axis of motivation in the laboratory. The first such feature is a tendency towards brittleness. The second is an accumulation of supporting technologies that sometimes cause scientists to express a frustration with the bureaucracy of highly regulated working practices. Both these features are important conditions for the pursuit of research through simulation.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Perspectives on Science | ||||
Publisher: | MIT Press | ||||
ISSN: | 1063-6145 | ||||
Official Date: | 6 November 2015 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 23 | ||||
Number: | 4 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 466-484 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1162/POSC_a_00184 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||
Open Access Version: |
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