Imagine you are the chief software architect in a major computing firm. One day, the president of the firm rushes into your office with a specification for the product that will save your company from the brink of bankrupcy. He holds what appears to be a dinner napkin on which he has drawn various pictures, and breathlessly explains his great idea.
``Right now'', he tells you, ``every kitchen in America has a box of index cards, on which are written favorite recipies. Soon, every kitchen will have a PC. Our job, your job, will be to replace that box of index cards with a software application.''
Stunned, you sit for a moment and stare at his dinner napkin, and wonder how to proceed.