Re: <nettime> Behind the Blip: Software as Culture

[Karl-Erik Tallmo <tallmo@nisus.se>]

Thanks Dan and Miles for your input!


At 07.47 -0500 02-01-10, Dan Steinberg wrote:
>As for how quantum computers will be programmed, since they are being designed
>along the same lines as digital computers they will likely be programmed the
>same way. The quantum technology is just that: technology: a means to an end.
>And quantum is a tecnhology that offers 'bigger, faster' but not  'different.


Maybe you are correct, but I still wonder, if quantum computing 
involves such a high degree of parallelism as they say, must not 
sequential instructions become obsolete? And what about future 
computing that is not even binary anymore?



At 13.03 -0700 02-01-10, Miles Nordin wrote:
>First, that you put a markup language ``beneath'' the WYSIWYG display
>is a little unsettling.  That Nisus uses such a language internally is
>probably not far off at all.  Since it's backwards- and
>forwards-compatible with other versions,


I hate to disappoint you, Miles, but I have nothing to do with Nisus 
Writer. It is an excellent word processor, I agree, but I came up 
with my company's name back in 1988 before I knew about Nisus Writer. 
I thought it was a nice word I found in my Latin dictionary, meaning 
both 'print' and 'effort' - and even stepping-stone, I think.

And about all of those layers, I guess you are right, the multitude 
of them is one obstacle but also the fact that many of them are 
passive, and don't do anything until they have to. Um, all of a 
sudden both my questions seem related, since they deal with 
parallellism and sequentiality ...

Karl-Erik Tallmo


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