computer science

IdeaList

IdeaList is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IdeaList rather than just read about it. In short: IdeaList was a commercially marketed free form text database application originally published by Blackwell Software, a division of Blackwell Science. The incomplete software source for version 4.0 was sold in the late 1990s to Bekon Marketing who continued to develop the product up to version 5.5 before trading ceased.

Key takeaways

IdeaList belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IdeaList to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IdeaList from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IdeaList was a commercially marketed free form text database application originally published by Blackwell Software, a division of Blackwell Science. The incomplete software source for version 4.0 was sold in the late 1990s to Bekon Marketing who continued to develop the product up to version 5.5 before trading ceased. IdeaList originated as an MS-DOS program; versions for Windows and Mac were later released. The application allows complete textual documents to be entered into a database, then searched and retrieved. It includes script programming to carry out tasks such as printing to labels, envelopes, or letters. It can also publish standalone, search-only databases.

References

Jordan, Spencer (1 October 1995). "Idealist for Windows 3.0". History and Computing. 7 (3): 156–160. doi:10.3366/hac.1995.7.3.156. ISSN 0957-0144. Retrieved 31 March 2025. Fysh, David (1 September 1991). "IdeaList–A Free-Text Database Manager". The Economic Journal. 101 (408): 1325. doi:10.2307/2234464. ISSN 0013-0133. JSTOR 2234464. Retrieved 31 March 2025. Sharpe, Richard; Green-Armytage, Jonathan (23 June 1994). "Searching for the last word". Computer Weekly: 38–42. Retrieved 31 March 2025.

External links Idealist Google Group CHIC - Idealist in Museums (abstract) Idealist for Windows 3.0 ISSN 1753-8548 EUP Idealist for Windows User's Guide Idealist for Macintosh User's Guide

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IdeaList

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IdeaList claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IdeaList before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IdeaList ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IdeaList

In research: IdeaList appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IdeaList in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IdeaList is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bibliographic databases and indexes, Database software stubs, Discontinued software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IdeaList outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IdeaList in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IdeaList means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IdeaList out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IdeaList in simple terms?

Why does IdeaList matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IdeaList?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IdeaList.