On Thu, 7 May 1998, Tony Duell wrote:
I think a computer needs to have some kind of
'program' which is
sequenced in some way, and also conditional branching. That _might_ be
I think Tony just defined the distinction between a simple circuit and a
computer. A computer can act on logic that allows it to conditionally
Defining 'computer' (either analogue or digital) is well-known to be
non-trivial. There are far too many border-line cases.
branch. I'd add that a computer's
function can be changed without
physically altering the computer (stored program).
Hmm... In one sense I agree with you, and in another, I have problems
with the fact that a circuit with the program stored in RAM or core is a
computer, and the same circuit with the program stored in masked ROM (so
you do have to make physical changes to change the program) is not.
Marginal case again...
AHA! But I anticipated this objection and already have a response. What
I meant in the sense that the function can be changed without physically
altering the computer (machine) is that there is a definite distinction
between the circuitry to drive the logic unit (CPU) and the circuitry
which defines the stored program (code). So while a masked ROM cannot be
altered, you can swap out the ROM with a new ROM with a completely
different set of instructions, while the rest of the circuitry which
executes the code remains unmodified.
There's a
fine distinction between a circuit and a computer and when a
circuit becomes a computer. I for one would not consider a filter to be a
I quite like Philip's definition that an analogue computer combines 2 or
more signals in a way more complex than addition. I can still think of
borderline cases, though - is a 4-quadrant analogue multiplier really
enough to be called a computer?
I don't think so. But then my arguments are mostly with regards to
digital computers and not analogue. I think the murky area being argued
here is strictly pertaining to analog computers since it is indeed a
series of filters and amplifiers combined to manipulate analog signals. A
digital computer is something quite different, and I think quite easy to
define.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
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