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

Groups > comp.lang.c > #73012

Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete?

Show all headers | View raw

Stefan Ram wrote:
> Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> writes:
>> The tape need not be ... perfectly infinite, it just needs to be long
>> enough to not run out during the operation of that particular Turing
>> machine.
>> "Imagine if you will that Turing machines are produced with a very long
>> but finite tape and if the machine ever runs out of space you can just
>> order some more tape. This is the difference between the tape actually
>> being infinitely long or just unlimited"
>
>    »Infinite« means that any operation can run on the tape,
>    whatever it's tape requirements are. When one can always
>    order more tape, than the tape /is/ /perfectly/ infinity.
>    The order process is just an implementation detail

"... just an implementation detail..." :)

>    of infinity.
>    »Not infinite« means that eventually one tape order will fail.
>    And this is going to happen according to current world models.
>
>    »Infinite« and »unlimited« are two words for the same thing.


Unbounded and unlimited ( there exists no limit N such that ... ) are 
the same. Infinite has a few other details that make it different.

It's the difference between an unbounded loop and an infinite loop.


>    The latin word »finis« means »limit« and the latin prefix
>    »in-« is used with certain words to reverse their meaning.
>    in-finite = un-limited.
>

-- 
Les Cargill

Back to comp.lang.c | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Anonymous Shadow <rocket.penguin@riseup.net> - 2015-10-10 18:23 +0800
  Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Philipp Klaus Krause <pkk@spth.de> - 2015-10-10 12:33 +0200
    Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-10-10 13:39 -0500
      Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-10-14 11:33 +0000
        Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-10-15 10:44 -0700
          Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-10-15 11:34 -0700
            Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-10-16 05:17 -0700
        Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-10-15 20:46 -0500
          Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-10-15 23:21 -0500
          Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2015-10-16 11:24 +0100
          Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-10-16 08:43 -0700
            Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Martin Shobe <martin.shobe@yahoo.com> - 2015-10-16 11:13 -0500
              Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-10-16 11:42 -0700
                Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2015-10-16 21:48 +0100
                Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-10-16 14:01 -0700
  Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2015-10-10 03:53 -0700
  Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Jorgen Grahn <grahn+nntp@snipabacken.se> - 2015-10-10 11:59 +0000
  Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-10-10 13:02 -0700
    Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Anonymous Shadow <rocket.penguin@riseup.net> - 2015-10-11 04:20 +0800
  Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Michael Barry <barrym95838@yahoo.com> - 2015-10-15 21:45 -0700
    Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-10-16 09:49 -0400
      Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2015-10-16 14:54 +0100
        Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-10-16 10:39 -0400
        Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2015-10-16 11:25 -0400
          Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-10-16 12:29 -0500
        Re: Is the C preprocessor turing-complete? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2015-10-16 10:39 -0500

csiph-web