Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.misc > #24113

Re: high-school presentation, suggestions?

Show all headers | View raw

On 24 Mar 2024 01:49:31 -0000
kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> Stefan Ram <ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de> wrote:
> >kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote or quoted:
> >>I explained to the CIO of a large government agency that a particular
> >>system wasn't a computer at all because it wasn't a finite automaton,

You don't say what the context of the discussion was but I assume that some
practical issue was concerned. I can't think of a practical situation where
the most useful reply is around the lines of whether the system involved is a
computer or a finite automaton.

> >  What is a computer?
> 
> It's a finite automaton.
> 
> >  Is this your own definition, or did you quote it from someone else?
> 
> I like to quote from Andrew Tennanbaum's book on the subject.
> 
> >  Are there any other definitions?
> 
> I suppose there are, since there are people whose job title is "computer"
> and we do have devices like the B-29 fire control computer which compute
> but are not actually finite automata.
> 
> Our computer security people wanted us to put encryption software on E-6B
> slide rules because they were on the inventory as "portable computers."

Is this the same thing as the CIO discussion you mention above or something
else ? Anyway , if someone wanted to install any kind of software on slide
rules and they didn't know that "portable computers" in this context refers
to slide rules , I would point out to them that it does. If they did know that
slide rules were involved and they seriously wanted to install software on
them , I would be at a loss for words.

By the way , I hadn't heard of E-6B .Cool thing.

> >  How do you know which definition to choose as the correct one?
> 
> I think in the 21st century, everyone assumes a computer to be a finite
> automaton or something mathematically equivalent.  That is, turing-machine-
> equivalent except for having a finite length tape.

I don't know who "everyone" is. I don't think that most people or even most
IT professionals bother to think of a general definition for "computer".
Ultimately the question is philosophical. Is the human mind a computer ? Is
the whole universe a computer ? I only think of "finite automaton" or "Turing
machine" in connection with mathematical theorems. For practical computing
purposes I don't think they are useful terms.

-- 
vlaho.ninja/menu

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

Thread

high-school presentation, suggestions? Johanne Fairchild <jfairchild@tudado.org> - 2024-03-21 14:57 -0300
  Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? John <john@building-m.simplistic-anti-spam-measure.net> - 2024-03-21 19:34 +0000
    Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? John <john@building-m.simplistic-anti-spam-measure.net> - 2024-03-21 19:38 +0000
      Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? D <nospam@example.net> - 2024-03-21 21:59 +0100
  Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) - 2024-03-23 20:30 +0000
    Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Johanne Fairchild <jfairchild@tudado.org> - 2024-03-23 19:57 -0300
    Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) - 2024-03-24 01:49 +0000
      Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) - 2024-03-24 16:50 +0000
      Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Spiros Bousbouras <spibou@gmail.com> - 2024-03-24 17:25 +0000
        Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) - 2024-03-24 17:57 +0000
          Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2024-03-24 19:32 +0000
        Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2024-03-24 19:28 +0000
        Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Spiros Bousbouras <spibou@gmail.com> - 2024-03-27 12:37 +0000
          Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Anton Shepelev <anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> - 2024-03-27 16:33 +0300
      Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2024-03-31 01:46 +0000
  Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2024-03-26 23:00 +0000
    Re: high-school presentation, suggestions? candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2024-03-27 14:50 +0000

csiph-web