From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!trwacs!erwin Thu Apr 16 11:33:52 EDT 1992
Article 5029 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!trwacs!erwin
>From: erwin@trwacs.fp.trw.com (Harry Erwin)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: syntax and semantics
Message-ID: <535@trwacs.fp.trw.com>
Date: 10 Apr 92 11:41:31 GMT
References: <92099.200726JPE1@psuvm.psu.edu> <1992Apr9.005331.23376@mp.cs.niu.edu> <92100.121650JPE1@psuvm.psu.edu> <1992Apr9.181334.4948@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Organization: TRW Systems Division, Fairfax VA
Lines: 14

On a computer as a formal system:
They may be in an abstract sense, but we do know of non-linear analog
processes that affect their functioning. For instance, if you do a disk
access, it slows the rotation of the disk due to the power draw. In
time-critical processing, this can result in chaotic response times. I
know of at least one system where this results in wide differences in
functional behavior. (The algorithm used in the system is highly sensitive
to the order in which inputs are presented to it.)

Cheers,
-- 
Harry Erwin
Internet: erwin@trwacs.fp.trw.com



