Frequently Asked Questions

   1. What is CALPP?
   2. Why not simply Cal - Computer Aided Law?
   3. What is the Mission of CALPP?
   4. Why should CALPP be Open Source?
   5. Where can CALPP be used?

   1. What is CALPP?

      CALPP  is an  acronym for  Computer Aided  Legal  Procedures and
Proceedings.  CALPP applications  implement  the law  by defining  the
procedures and executing the procedures as proceedings.

      CALPP is pragmatic in its  approach and does not end merely with
managing legal proceedings. A wide variety of reports can be generated
based on  the information furnished during the  course of proceedings,
that may not be required by the law, but rather demanded by the nature
of the business.

   2. Why not simply CAL - Computer Aided Law?

      The  capability  of computers  to  execute  the  laws framed  by
legislatures can be taken for  granted beyond any shadow of doubt. The
thought  occured  to Charles  Babbage,  the  first software  developer
himself:

      "In 1840 I received from my friend M. Plana a letter pressing me
strongly to  visit Turin  at the then  approaching meeting  of Italian
philosophers.  In that  letter M.  Plana stated  that he  had inquired
anxiously of  many of my countrymen  about the power  and mechanism of
the Analytical  Engine. He remarked  that from all the  information he
could collect the case seemed to stand thus:--

      "Hitherto the  legislative department  of our analysis  has been
all powerful--the executive all feeble."

      "Your  engine  seems  to  give  us the  same  control  over  the
executive which  we have hitherto only possessed  over the legislative
department."

      Considering the exceedingly limited information which could have
reached  my friend  respecting the  Analytical Engine,  I  was equally
surprised and delighted at his  exact prevision of its powers. Even at
the  present moment I  could not  express more  clearly, and  in fewer
terms, its real object.

      Charles   Babbage  in  his   "Passages  from   the  Life   of  a
Philosopher", while  describing the Analytical  Engine as early  as in
1840, mentions the control of the executive department with the aid of
the  mechanical device,  which is  the  forerunner of  the modern  day
computer. The real object of  the analytical engine was control of the
executive.  This means  nothing but  execution of  laws  - scientific,
mathematical  or  legislative  through  mechanical means.  Though  the
mechanical model was never  built, modern day electronics have brought
to life the vision of Charles Babbage.

      The prerequisite for an analytical engine, has not changed since
its conception. We have to provide  the laws in advance to the machine
and  the variables  or  facts required  to  work out  the equation  or
execute the law.  If the procedures are defined,  the computer can aid
in carrying out the proceedings according to the procedures laid down.

      Computer  Aided Law  would  mean capability  to  deal with  both
legislative and executive departments. Automating law making itself is
akin  to   compilers  automatically  writing  the   code  without  any
assistance  from  human  programmers.  Dealing  with  the  Legislative
department itself,  would be the  challenge that will be  faced future
generations. We should  go from the known to  the unknown, and without
first  having devised  methods  for  executing the  law,  it would  be
premature and futile to devise  methods for making the law itself with
computer  aid.  Computer Aided  Law  will  be  the highest  ideal  for
software developers. This should be possible some future day.

      It  is of  course  possible to  aid  law making  by designing  a
constitutional  debugger that  will  test  each line  of  code in  the
legislation against  the constitution. This however  does not automate
law making in the strict sense. Devising a program that will write the
suitable laws  by itself is at  present a far away  dream. Providing a
compact  and  easily executable  set  of  laws  itself will  be  quite
challenging and tasking. Hence CALPP - Computer Aided Legal Procedures
and Proceedings was consciously chosen over CAL - Computer Aided Law.

   3. What is CALPP's Mission?

      Law provides the  background for all human activity.  The aim of
law is  maintaining order and  peace in society. Higher  purposes have
been envisioned by legal philosophers  like Roscoe Pound who called it
a tool  for social engineering. Human interpretation  and execution of
law is  at best  random and consequently  disrupts peace and  order in
society.The fault lies invariably in execution of well intended laws.

      Computers  offer   elegant  means  of   executing  legal  rules,
procedures  and  proceedings.  Computers  are  capable  of  logic  and
arithmetic,  besides  excellent   information  storage  and  retrieval
functions. CALPP is about porting law to computers. In that process we
should  leave behind  unnecessary junk  and include  better techniques
available keeping in mind the primary function and purpose of law. The
quest  is  for designing  a  clean  and  elegant model  providing  for
repeatable  sytematic execution  of legal  rules and  procedures  in a
predictable and transparent way.

   4. Why should CALPP be Open Source?

      Open   Source  is   the   only  sustainable   model  for   legal
applications.  The   strength  of  a  legal  system   rests  upon  its
transparency  and clarity.  This  means exposing  the  code we  write,
regardless of whether we  use OpenSource or proprietory systems. Since
transparency is at the very heart  of law, we have little or no choice
in the matter.  The law itself is a  great OpenSource and consequently
any of  us interested  in working with  it also  have to adapt  to its
spirit.  OpenSource software  offers  the most  transparent tools  and
consequently the most suitable  for developing legal applications. The
advantages  of  using  OpenSource  software  is  well  documented  and
requires no elaboration.


   5. Where can CALPP be used?

      Calpp  was designed primarily  to deal  with execution  of legal
rules.   Hence,  it  can  be  used  wherever legal  rules  are  to  be
generated,  stored, executed and  used.  We  can create  Calpp powered
Legal Systems.

      Calpp may also  be used in fields where the  rules can be listed
for execution  and application. Calpp powered  medicine, Calpp powered
surgical procedures,  Calpp powered irrigation  systems, Calpp powered
schools, Calpp powered research and development, Calpp powered science
and many more Calpp powered systems can be devised for practical use.

      Artificial Intelligence  will receive a big boost  when Calpp is
widely used.  This is because, the data structure is identical for all
the  varied systems,  and it  is possible  to write  scripts  that can
reason with the  rules and the data that exist in  the same form under
all the varied systems of human activity.

      Calpp can count well.  This enables reasoning.

      A  sufficient  stock of  procedures  and  proceedings should  be
generated before serious scripts can be written to reason on their own.

