GenBank Errors, the original issue. was: (none)

[smouldering dog]

In article <9110181503.AA22563 at genbank.bio.net> CZJ at CU.NIH.GOV writes:

a 1097 word essay on the history of GenBank:

>  With respect to the performance of the GenBank contractor, I think it 
>  is important to look at how far we have come with this essential 
>  database.  Five years ago the database....
	etc.
>  Now the situation has been reversed.  Thanks to the efforts of the 
>  GenBank staff, 85 % of all sequences are submitted in advance of 
>  publication.  In those cases where...
	etc.
>  These advances would have little impact were it not for improved 
>  distribution.  The database is now...
	etc.
>  In addition other aspects, such as the development of an RDBMS for 
>  storing the data....
	etc.
>  Whether GenBank should be concentrating its effort in presenting 
>  merged views of the data is an arguable point....
 	etc.
>  On the subject of the future of GenBank it is very important to set 
>  the record straight.  GenBank is currently funded by a contract...
 	etc.
>  When Don Lindberg became director, the National Library of Medicine 
>  moved rapidly into the computer age and...
 	etc.
>  Subsequently, we at NIGMS formed a close working relationship with the 
>  Lister Hill Center...
 	etc.
>  When NCBI was formed and David Lipman became its director, this 
>  collaboration and friendship have continued....
 	etc.
>  I hope these comments have served to set the record straight.

>  Jim Cassatt 
>  GenBank Project Officer

Maybe Tom's original posting was incorrect about the exact GenBank
historical record.  But lets get back to the original issue.

re-quoting Tom:

Tom>GenBank is
Tom>
Tom>  INCONSISTENT
Tom>  REDUNDANT
Tom>  FULL OF ERRORS

I hope that I am representing the sentiment of Tom Schneider's
original post.  I am in agreement his post was a bit inflamatory, but
I have to applaud any discussions on the accuracy of the data-base.




--

	owen white		(owhite at nmsu.edu)

-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-*-=-=-*-=-
		     there is no god, there is only noise
		     there is no noise, there is only god
-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-=-*-=-*-=-=-*-=-

the difference between art and science is that in art, if something
	works, it doesn't have to make sense.