Glossary -- A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

NDLP Glossary - D

distributed system

A modular design (architecture) for a computer application or group of applications that distributes the processing across a number of computers. The World Wide Web is an example of a distributed system. Most computer applications today are designed as distributed systems because of advantages in efficiency of long-term support and in functionality, particularly in a networked environment. In a distributed system, you can:

• build a system that operates effectively across a network, such as the Internet, by selectively performing certain activities on a central "server" computer and others on a user's own personal computer
• provide a variety of user interfaces for the same underlying system
• use specialized computers for specialized tasks (e.g. a supercomputer for number-crunching) and take advantage of the computing power on user's desktops
• modify and upgrade software modules independently, improving performance or adding functionality in one module without having to change others
• add or upgrade hardware in small chunks to eliminate bottlenecks or take advantage of new technology (rather than having to replace a large mainframe)

One common form of distributed system is the client-server architecture. Distributed systems depend heavily on well-defined mechanisms for communication between computer systems and software components, such as network protocols and application program interfaces (APIs).

Dublin Core

The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. A simple resource description record proposed as a foundation for electronic bibliographic description that may improve structured access to information on the Internet and promote interoperability among disparate description models. Initially proposed at the 1995 Metadata Workshop sponsored by OCLC and NCSA in Dublin, Ohio, this set of elements has been used experimentally in several projects. Work on refining the specification and developing a syntax (or more than one syntax) to represent the record continued at Metadata Workshop II (in Warwick, England in April 1996). At the second meeting, several working groups were established to prepare reports and more detailed specifications.

See the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set Home Page

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