[Fwd: Re: Arrow System -- Rationale?]

[Billy Tanksley]

> One area I think you need to work on is to define your definitions in
> the context of Arrow.  You throw around words like "requirements,"
> "information," and "statements," but you don't say how these things
> are
> represented in Arrow, or (if there's no "one true way") give any
> examples of how they might be.
> 
	There isn't really any one true way -- it's all relative to the
context.  This is one reason why I'm having such a hard time with the
Arrow system.  Brian says (correctly) that the basic system is simple,
but the problem is that the basic system isn't complete, and I'm not
sure how much else we'll need in order to even be able to *model*
problems using arrows, much less execute solutions.

> Related to this, I have one question before I go...
> 
	That's what they all say.

> >> But how is information represented in the system?  Define an Arrow
> >> system which represents the binary string "00".
> 
> > finite-state machines and such.
> 
> Okay, so how do you represent a finite-state machine in the arrow
> system?
> 
	Any way you want to.  BUT, if you want the machine to DO
anything, you have to build a FSM interpreter.  I have NO idea how we're
going to make the FSM interpreter do anything -- perhaps we'll build an
FSM interpreter interpreter.

	See also "the ontological argument for the existance of God".
:-)

> > really, the natural numbers and all 
> > will be objects in the arrow system as well.
> 
> Do you mean that an arrow's slot can point to either an arrow OR an
> object (natural numbers, etc)?  If that's what you're saying, I think
> you're polluting the purity of the system somewhat.
> 
	He was very, very unclear there.  He intends to have arrows be
used to model/represent everything.

> Either way, I'd like to see a solid example answering my question.
> Show
> me the money!  Or at least, "00".  Actually, make it (binary) "10",
> since that demonstrates both of the binary digits.
> 
	Okay.  "10" is represented by the absence of an arrow.  It takes
up zero storage and can be computed instantly.  It's so quick because
there is only one alternative -- that means that there are zero bits of
information needed to be communicated.  If you wanted me to represent a
single bit in a number of different contexts, I might do it by pointing
an arrow from the context where you wanted the bit to either another
arrow or nothing.

> Jim Little  (jiml@inconnect.com)
> 
	-Billy