Information | TechRepublic Forums

by ann777 Aug 28, 2002

Information is that which you seek by placing a question mark at the end of a sentence ;-)

Here's an entry from www.dictionary.com :

in?for?ma?tion Pronunciation Key (nfr-mshn)
n.
1) Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction.
2) Knowledge of specific events or situations that has been gathered or received by communication; intelligence or news. See Synonyms at knowledge.
3) A collection of facts or data: statistical information.
4) The act of informing or the condition of being informed; communication of knowledge: Safety instructions are provided for the information of our passengers.
5) Computer Science. Processed, stored, or transmitted data.
6) A numerical measure of the uncertainty of an experimental outcome.
7) Law. A formal accusation of a crime made by a public officer rather than by grand jury indictment.

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infor?mation?al adj.

by ivad99 Aug 28, 2002

The definitions which you have given are quite unacceptable, as in essence you have defined information as being both knowledge and data. But isnt knowledge merely the awarenes of information? Isnt data a form of expression of information? Isnt an experimental outcome the manifestation information both conceptually and contextually derived?
Please do better than that. Please answer the question. What is information?
ivad99@yahoo.com

by b_pope Aug 28, 2002

Knowledge!!

by ivad99 Aug 29, 2002

Knowledge is just the awareness of information nothing more nothing less. Information is much more than knowledge.

by littledragon Aug 29, 2002

The question, and response the initial answer, seem a bit esoteric for the technical Q&A, but here is my best shot:

Information is data IN a FORM which provides it with meaning to a given observer. Whether or not data will be viewed as information depends on the observer, since all information is filtered through the lens of the observer's expectations and existing framework of knowledge (you'll see it when you believe it).

by ivad99 Aug 29, 2002

The definitions which you have given are quite unacceptable, as in essence you have defined information as being both knowledge and data. But isnt knowledge merely the awarenes of information? Isnt data a form of expression of information? Being the form inwhich it is expressed doesnt make it the same thing. Walk like a duck quack like a duck does not necessarily make you a duck. What do you think?

by littledragon Aug 30, 2002

"But isnt knowledge merely the awarenes of information? Isnt data a form of expression of information?"

No, I don't think knowledge is merely the awareness of information - I think it is the understanding of information. Awareness does not necessarily imply knowledge.

And No, I don't think data is a form of expression of information. On the contrary, my previous answer says that information is a specialized expression of data - a way of viewing data that imparts meaning to the data within a given context.

When data is observed without any context then it has no meaning. Something may look like a duck and quack like a duck, but if you have no knowledge or prior experience of ducks, the data is not relevant or meaningful. Context and prior experience shape how data is perceived and interpreted. Data is raw "fact" and requires context to become information.

Data is what is observed, which with context become information, which when integrated into experience becomes knowledge. This may not suit your purposes, but if you want more of a definition than this, I suggest you seek out a website philosophy, rather than technology!

by ivad99 Sep 2, 2002

Dear Little Dragon, I thought you had got my reply to your answer of the 30th. Aparently you didnt. Knowledge always begins with an awareness of some phenomenon/a. Indeed it involves complex cognitive functions which are outside of the scope of this discussion. But in the final analysis however, it is the subjective awareness of information by the brain which is recorded and referred to as knowledge. This is so because information exists independently of your brain or your perceptions. Data isa method of detection of information and not information an expression of data. Since data is the framework (concept and context) which humans create in order to understand the phenomenal manifestation of information. Information is embodied in everything that exists. In that sense it is indeed a philosophical question. I will give you the practical technological importance of this discussion.

by zlitocook Sep 2, 2002

Ah grasshopper you ask a great question! Information in general is what you receive as you live and learn. Information in the work life of employee's is how you survive in a Dilbert world. Information in the computer world is to complex to describe!It starts with the master asking too much and the user asking why the files they deleted were needed. The road to enlightenment is a pain in the #**$@

by ivad99 Sep 2, 2002

I dont know how to respond to this answer. All I caN SAY IS THAT; you all call yourselves information technologists, although you all have never even given the slightest thought about, What you mean by "information"? It just seems so absurd to me to be something that you dont know what you are!

by malchango69 Sep 4, 2002

Information is collections of different pieces of data. Data is just facts, any kinds of facts. One piece of data alone means nothing towards information, but put together with other pieces of data, you have information.

Databases collect nothing but data, the interpretation and manipulation of that data creates information that is used by people and corporations for whatever they want.

At least that's the way I've always looked at this question.