Beyond a software library: building an Organon

It is well understood that an organization requires some means to store and provide access to software information available to it. While a library metaphor has proven to be of some value in creating systems to support organizational needs, this metaphor has unnecessarily limited the vision necessary to implement systems which will effectively support software engineers as they struggle to build tomorrow´s complex systems. This paper introduces some ideas intended to stimulate thinking about more advanced systems that are both enabling and open. To be enabling, they must provide access to information beyond cataloging software assets in the traditional sense. To be open, they must admit connectivity to information sources and tools that are constantly changing both in their scope and availability. An Organon is such a system