Fwd: Computing Evolution

[Brian Fahrlander]

Donn wrote:
>> "Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have
>> tried to make it precise." - Bertrand Russell
>>     
> And that vagueness is the reality. I reckon genetic algorithms via human 
> click-click selection should be able to spawn working apps.
    But this is key to the problem: Smarter Computers.

    Computers used to only add.  To subtract, they'd add the inverse. Through the 80's we got things like better processors and even fast-as-light numeric coprocessors and things started to kick off. We also got GPUs for graphics (a.k.a. "3D cards") and in these areas, they all helped.

    I've noticed a key issue going forward; XML. It's fabulous for making a list and telling remote computers how the data is arranged, and sometimes what to do with it. Otherwise "Eat at Joe's" is not the same as "eat at joes".  The kind of 'fuzzy matching' that can be done with the XML mindset is very powerful for the kinds of things we've been waiting for. 

    Anyone else on the Boxee alpha? It's really good at a really difficult task: taking titles and internal-info of media files and looking up connected data. It's really good at it, though not perfect.  That's the kinda thing I'm talking about- at least the computer can work on objects that 'don't fit into an accumulator'.

    :)
 

>> Did you know that COBOL was going to "end programming"? All you had to
>> do was define the problem to be solved.
>>     
> No, I had no idea. Well, that's another cunning plan totally stuffed then :0
   Well, COBOL's still very much alive! I see stories every once in a 
while where legacy work, still vital, still nearly-bug-free needs 
extending and/or upgrading, and they have a shortage of such 
programmers. It's a good language, just not for all purposes. Little 
help, I suspect, in mangling packets for a network, for instance.  :)

    I almost wish I'd taken accounting, so I could better cope with 
COBOL.  Almost.  :/

-- 
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 Brian Fahrländer                 Christian, Conservative, and Technomad
 Evansville, IN                               http://CounterMoon.org/bio
 ICQ: 5119262                         AOL/Yahoo/GoogleTalk: WheelDweller
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