Re: What I like about programming . . .

From	"Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>
Newsgroups	comp.programming
Subject	Re: What I like about programming . . .
Date	2023-02-09 11:17 +0100
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<ts2h7n$jvvq$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(4 earlier) <87cz6jlvd6.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <ts15r2$bfus$1@dont-email.me> <87lel7k5k9.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <ts26o6$jn1b$1@dont-email.me> <ts2ble$kc4k$1@dont-email.me>

Show all headers | View raw

On 2023-02-09 09:42, David Brown wrote:

> /Real-world/ programs always halt.  Most of the programs I write have an 
> "infinite loop" - "while (true) { .... }" in them.  But they stop when 
> someone switches off the board they are running on.  Even the last of 
> the Novel Netware servers will stop with the heat death of the universe.

Here you are talking about a computing system, not the program it runs. 
The computing system may halt = stop functioning. However arguably it 
does not stop, it ceases to exist as a computing system.

The program does not. Per definition properties of a program are 
independent on the computing system. It is like 1+1=2, even if some 
beads of the abacus are built out of antimatter so that they annihilate 
when touching other beads. Same stupid argument.

> You /could/ argue that non-halting programs are just mathematical 
> fantasies.

All programs are mathematical fantasies. After all, they are immaterial.

> So let's please stick to the normal definitions of the terms, and not 
> add hidden assumptions about real-world limitations to simple 
> mathematical concepts.

Right.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de

Back to comp.programming | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

Re: What I like about programming  . . . JJ <jj4public@outlook.com> - 2023-02-08 04:58 +0700
  Re: What I like about programming . . . David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-08 08:59 +0100
  Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-08 09:34 +0000
  Re: What I like about programming . . . Paul N <gw7rib@aol.com> - 2023-02-08 07:03 -0800
    Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-08 15:50 +0000
      Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-08 21:07 +0000
        Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-08 21:56 +0000
          Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-09 01:09 +0000
            Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-09 07:18 +0000
              Re: What I like about programming . . . David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-09 09:42 +0100
                Re: What I like about programming . . . "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> - 2023-02-09 11:17 +0100
                Re: What I like about programming . . . David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-09 14:15 +0100
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-09 11:41 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-09 14:20 +0100
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-09 13:38 +0000
              Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-09 14:05 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-10 07:04 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-10 11:46 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-10 12:49 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Y A <air000000000000@ya.ee> - 2023-02-10 06:37 -0800
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-10 23:16 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-11 07:20 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-11 21:12 +0000
                Re: What I like about programming . . . Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2023-02-11 23:05 +0000

csiph-web