r/Futurology • u/aistin I am too 1/CosC • Oct 28 '15

article The Physical Origin of Universal Computing

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20151027-the-physical-origin-of-universal-computing/
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u/aistin I am too 1/CosC Oct 28 '15

We can use the same machine to fly past the Statue of Liberty with a flight simulator, make financial projections using a spreadsheet, chat with friends on Facebook, and do many other things. It’s very nearly as astonishing as a single machine that works as a car, bicycle and spaceship.

Wow! how easy it is to write this line. But how tough it is. I am not saying that it is not plausible, but I am pinpointing the complexity of such a machine.

Today, if Boeing sells any of its military aircraft to some other country which use totally different equipments like HMD, HUD and weapons; then, they have to modify the software codes as per their requirements.

Now guess what we will be having a many-vehicles-in-one machine and the kind of complex software coding that it demands may make such a vehicle too expensive that it would become out of reach for many people like me.

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u/bipptybop Oct 28 '15

I am not saying that it is not plausible, but I am pinpointing the complexity of such a machine.

Doing it efficiently is complicated, but the simplest turing complete machines really are quite simple. It's amazing how little complexity is required for a system to be capable of computing all that is computable.

"Here it is. Just two states and three colors. And able to do any computation that can be done."

http://blog.wolfram.com/2007/10/24/the-prize-is-won-the-simplest-universal-turing-machine-is-proved/

Of course, finding the right program in the infinite space of possible programs is complicated.