4.1 Types of Functions
A desire to use a particular basic genre of software appeared to be the foremost
technical issue that guided the choice of software tools across all projects.
The choice of software function was generally based upon its ability to represent
a particular aspect of a discipline. There were five basic forms of software
functions emphasized. They were emphasized for different reasons to support
different goals in each of the projects. However, in each project,
the predominant reason for the choice of software seemed to be based on desires
to access the particular set of functions perceived to be most congenial to
representing a specific academic body of knowledge.