@javajosh You're speaking of the Turing description of computation, you might be interested in Church's lambda calculus description which works just as well and doesn't use mutability to describe computation,
--Robert McIntyre On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 9:08 PM, javajosh <javaj...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Dec 6, 5:40 pm, Stuart Halloway <stuart.hallo...@gmail.com> wrote: >> The world is a series of immutable states, and the future is a function of >> the past. >> See http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Are-We-There-Yet-Rich-Hickey. > > My philosophy questions are the most interesting to people, ha! > > Neat link. It appears that Hickey is something of a Alfred North > Whitehead apostle. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's > interesting. > > I question the truth of the general view, even as I enthusiastically > endorse the utility of immutability in computer programs. At the > lowest level, a computer program can be visualized as a two > dimensional bitmap of ones and zeroes. These bits are interpreted by > the CPU starting at the "upper left", say, and they instruct the CPU > what to do. The CPU in turn mutates the bitmap and proceeds, > generally, across and down, unless it's instructed to move > differently. Convention separates "instruction" from "data" but this > is by no means written in stone. In any event, the *physical process* > underlying computation, a bitmap modifying itself, appears imperative > and mutable. One must jump through a lot of hoops (as Hickey can > attest, I'm sure) to simulate immutability of value. > > Or perhaps the CPU designers are laboring under some false assumptions > about reality, and CPU design itself needs to change? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Clojure" group. > To post to this group, send email to clojure@googlegroups.com > Note that posts from new members are moderated - please be patient with your > first post. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/clojure?hl=en -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Clojure" group. To post to this group, send email to clojure@googlegroups.com Note that posts from new members are moderated - please be patient with your first post. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/clojure?hl=en
