Autocoding >Re: "Introduction to Ethics",

[Timothy Rue]

On 27-Jan-02 14:33:01 Chris Gonnerman <chris.gonnerman at newcenturycomputers.net> wrote:
>"Kragen Sitaker" <kragen at pobox.com> wrote in message
>news:<83y9ijhcik.fsf at panacea.canonical.org>...
>>
>> Can you explain what he sees VIC as, please?  I really want to know,
>> but I can't figure it out.

>What I see looks like a definition for an environment very much like
>COM or CORBA... a remote-object invocation system of sorts.

>Of course he'll argue that it's not that at all, but then he won't
>explain what it is...


Given the set of mathmatical symbols and a question of what is the sum of
256 and 164 or the question of how many times will 147 go into 219865,
or...

Even if I don't know the answer, how to use the symbols to get the answer,
I do know the use of the symbols in the right way will find the answers.
The complexity of the question doesn't matter much.


The VIC and it's commands are similiar, in that not knowing specifically
how to get to a specific answer, the tool set can get there once the right
way is determined, regardless of the complexity. This of course is that of
finding answers to questions in te scope of the VIC, just like the
mathmatical symbols are for use withing their scope.

---

The first command, AI, starts up the VIC shell and give that instance of
the  VIC shell a unique identity. It also keeps some other information
about itself as well as current directory. AI can also be used to send an
a unique instance or more, of the VIC, a VIC command.

The second command, PK, keeps information about all the commands, such as
the information about AI above, in a data structure that can be saved to a
file. Thru the PK command you can also manipulate most all this
information, including saving and loading such information. PK keeps track
of what the last saved PK file was and has a default file. This ability
allows you to stop a VIC process, set it aside and then pick it back up
later and continue on where you left off. This can be a very powerful
command.

The third command, OI, allows you to get information into variables and
these variable can be in a list saveable and loadable to/from a file. This
allows powerful variable list manipulation. Like PK, OI keeps track of a
previous variable list file and has a default.

The fourth command, IP, represents where input is gotten from. This is
changable and like OI and PK there is a previous and default setting.

The fifth command, OP, is similar to IP but is the set for where ouptut
get sent.

The sixth command, SF, controls how it process sequential lines in files.
it can be set to step thru the lines, set for debug, etc.. It has a stack
that holds filenames and the linenumbers that determine what the next line
it processes is going to be. This stack can be directly minipulated which
effects which line will be processed next. The only thing the VIC is
concerned about is finding it's own commands and doing what those commands
tell it to. All else that makes it onto the SF stack is simple pass to the
output as defined by OP.

The seventh command, IQ, is a multi-depth search engine that sends
it's finding to the SF stack. It too has a stack as it is possible to have
the files it searches thru to refer to other files. As such it needs to
keep track of what it has already looked thru in order to avoid infinate
loops. As is typical of search engines like grep, there are flags you can
set to stop at first findings, best match, etc.. The item to match can be
given to IQ either directly or indirectly thru a variable from the OI
variable list. Being a multi-depth search engine it is possible to find a
word in a dictionary but a given sub-definition. This is very useful for
accessing things like program manuals.

The eigth command, ID, goes thru a list of user definable test. Upon
getting a successful test, the data following the test is sent to the SF
stack. The test can be determine what the contents of a variable is in
regards to the computer system, such as a filename, directory, device,
etc. The tests are kept in a list which can refer to other list and as
such ID keeps a stack,

The Ninth command, KE, keeps user definable information that helps
constrain what IQ searches for and what ID tests. ie. what sub-definition
of the word given to IQ, to output.

---

Like the symbols of mathmatics, you don't have to use them all to get an
answer to a question.

If I want to know what the definition is of a word in a dictionary, I
simply start up the VIC in interactive mode, set the dictionary I want to
search and then search it with the word I want to find the definition of.

There are numerious ways to do this but a simple example might be two line
The first starting up the VIC with a user interface (not background
proces) and setting the IQ default file to dictionary. the Next line from
within the VIC user interface simply tells the VIC to find and output to
standard out the definition of the word given.

AI -u dictionary.iq

vic>IQ word


The above is a simple example that really only uses a command to start up
the VIC and one to find a word definition.


Of course the .iq files can contain anything you want them to contain,
such as scripts, code snippets, and even VIC commands that will tell the
VIC to change some setting such as output, change the execution stack,
save a copy of the current complete VIC setting, etc...

As such, it is possibe to set in motion any number of things, one leading
to another, and thru the use of variable, the direction can be dynamic.


To compair the VIC to an Email encryption/decryption program is foolish
and as different as trying to compair a language compiler to a program it
is used to create (excluding creating itself).

Such a dedicated encryption/decryption program will probably be alot
faster than getting the VIC to do such a task. Though the VIC can be set
up to act as a translator, it can also more simply make use of a such a
translator by placing it as where to output to and get input from. Maybe
even setting up the use of two or more encryption/decryption steps.

---


Now Chris, I don't know COM or CORBA that well. So tell me, does this
sound like either? Or perhaps something to use maybe along with?


---
*3 S.E.A.S - Virtual Interaction Configuration (VIC) - VISION OF VISIONS!*
   *~ ~ ~      Advancing How we Perceive and Use the Tool of Computers!*
Timothy Rue      What's *DONE* in all we do?  *AI PK OI IP OP SF IQ ID KE*
Email @ mailto:timrue at mindspring.com      >INPUT->(Processing)->OUTPUT>v
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