Abstract :
This book evolved from notes for a seminar with the same title which has been given repeatedly at the Institute for Advanced Technology, a directorate of CDC. It intends to present an integrated guideline for the design of on-line computer systems, focusing on technical (rather than managerial) aspects, although it may help the manager to maintain a fundamental understanding of what his programmers and analysts are up to. Its six parts are meant to be basically independent, and the following is an overview of their contents.
