🚀 go-pugleaf

On 9 Aug 2001 04:26:17 -0700 pcm@cpugrid.net (P.M.) wrote
news:6db3f637.0108090326.95b2e64@posting.google.com to news.hccnet.nl-
:comp.theory,talk.philosophy.misc,sci.physics,bionet.info-theory
article 239088 :

>
> I don't know if this question comes under the umbrella of computer
> science, philosophy or physics. Maybe there's even an info theoretic
> answer to it?
>
> "sachi" <sachi@beer.com> wrote in message
> news:<Se9c7.2275$e%3.199139@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com>...
> > news:8cd70836.0108080113.561d74a@posting.google.com...
> > > What really does the term "computational process" encompass. In
> > > its broadest sense could it be applied to basically everything?
> >
> > i am unsure of the exact defn but perhaps something which changes
> > the state of some 'machine' from one to another. Even more
> > generally, perhaps something which results in events occuring which
> > have properties like state, input, and other parameters/attributes.
> >
> > ..s.a
>
> I doubt the term "computational process" should be restricted to a
> machine, no matter how loosely you define a machine. Natural systems
> can perform computations. Maybe a computational process is anything
> that results in a _meaningful_ state transaction, even without input
> and output? But then, what is considered meaningful? I would say
> random state transitions are not meaningful.
>
> Alternatively, maybe a computational process is anything the results
> in a decrease of entropy. I hope someone else can jump in here with a
> much better answer than I have attempted.

In the past computational processes have been implemented on a variety
of things. Bill Gates likes to talk about his "fantastic machines". So,
between the ears of some listeners, especially empirically oriented
non-buyers in times of economic trouble a computational process is not
very different from a probably not really that is not much doing and
therefore not needed too much money spending fantasy. Of course I have
to exclude those time and money saving computational processes that have
come and settled to guide our thoughts and corresponding actions.

Jac.
jac.oppers@philips.com (replaces jac@natlab.research.philips.com)
j.m.a.m.oppers@(hccnet|hetnet|chello).nl