[exprla-devel] RE: [XPL] strengths and weaknesses

[reid_spencer <ras...@re...>]

--- In xpl-dev@y..., "Richard Anthony Hein" <935551@i...> wrote:
Welcome back Jonathan, LOL!  I hate it when my connection is down 
too ...
but the reason for your problems is too funny!  Hehehe.  Sorry...!

Thanks for the affirmation.  I appreciate it.  Yeah, I forgot about 
the
neuroscience background (not neurology ... that's beyond nesc., at the
medical school level).  However, some of that may be useful to a 
degree, but
perhaps it gets to far afield sometimes.  <sidetrack>I see the 'net 
as a
neural network that is forming in an emergent fashion, like the early
development of connections in the brain, and the beginnings of simple
communications using those early connections.  Do I think the 'net 
will ever
attain true consciousness?  No.  I don't think so; at least not in 
the next
100 years, and definitely not until quantum computers become a 
reality (I
think the brain is a quantum computer - although we can simulate most 
of the
functions classically, the inherent nature of consciousness is at the 
QM
level, IMNSHO).  I am not sure all people attain true consciousness 
either.
But don't quote me on this; things change.  </sidetrack>  Sometimes 
it's
like I am trying to build a brain when we (the world) don't even 
understand
the basics of brain function fully, and have no real idea what the 
true
nature of thought even IS.

Your digital logic and assembler background will have to be tapped a 
lot
here I think, as well as everything else there you listed.  I am not 
so sure
that sketchy web technology knowledge is that bad, given that the 
current
infrastructure is probably not even well suited for XML, and XPL.  
That's
not to say we shouldn't try to get a grip on the fundamentals, since 
that is
necessary for learning what to do this time round.  Kurt says that he
disagrees with Simon St. Laurent, who wrote an article on the 
problems with
the current infrastructure on http://www.xml.com in the sense that it 
may be
too late to change a lot of it now.  I don't really know what to 
think about
that, but I wonder because it only took a few years for the internet 
to grow
out of obscurity into this huge thing, so why would it be so bad to 
change
it somewhat for XML?

Anyways, that's it for now.  I am actually working on compiling the
discussions that have taken place in the group since the beginning 
into one
condensed overview of everything that seems important, the 
requirements (so
far not many), and ideas that people have thought were good, while 
weeding
out the ones that people didn't really respond to, like my 
instruction set
in XML to make compilers idea (which I thought was a damn good idea - 
but I
don't know much at all about compilers, so please, if you respond to 
this
Jonathan, explain to me why it's not a good idea?), or were just plain
wrong.

G'night,


  -----Original Message-----
  From: me@m... [mailto:me@m...]On
Behalf Of Jonathan Burns
  Sent: June 23, 2000 7:41 PM
  To: xpl@e...
  Subject: Re: [XPL] strengths and weaknesses


  Kurt Cagle wrote:
     Richard,
    I'd dare say that simply keeping things organized around here is a
better
    strength than many of us bring to this table -- you're doing good 
with
it,
    and you're insight will carry you far.


  Hear, hear!
    For myself,
    Strengths -- working with most scripting technologies since the 
early
1980s,
    both client and server, a multimedia background, grounding in 
systems
    theory, complex analysis and chaos, and in general a fairly broad
overview
    of programming principles and practices. Interest in both human 
and
computer
    based languages, semantics, and philosophy.  Writes pretty good 
science
    fiction and draws a sexy mermaid.

    Weaknesses -- not well organized (what do you expect, I study 
chaos!),
    database skills at the basic SQL level (I could tell you what a 
trigger
was,
    but would have to look up its syntax to write one), no formal 
training
as a
    computer programmer (which may or may not be a weakness), 
tendency to
    overcommit to projects.

    Kurt Cagle

  Hmmm.
  Strengths - background in mathematics (good for logical 
relationships) and
physics
  (good for analogies). Long-term (25 years) interest in programming
languages.
  Survivor of middle-era OOP disputes, and current contributor to 
Pattern
Languages
  of Programming discussion group. Solid grounding in C/C++. 
Experience,
mostly
  amateur, with a dozen languages. 8 years as university tutor, spec.
digital logic
  and assembler programming. Plain English. Reasonably shrewd 
estimator of
how much
  longer everything takes, and how much more it oosts. Fierce 
believer in
power of
  skill combinations in small groups.

  Weaknesses - gaps in databases, and communications protocols. 
Sketchy Web
techs
  knowledge. Maker of mountains from molehills. Subject to bouts of 
despair.

  I actually think we've got a very good team already - at least for
purposes of
  establishing goals and writing up design principles. It will take 
stamina,
though.
  I'm certain there will be issues we have to go over and over again, 
and
we'll
  probably feel we've sweated blood over every document we produce.

  Put it this way. We're already on the edge of The international 
standards
community
  for XML technologies. What we can find out, by mining and studying 
the W3C
and
  XML-DEV literature, will bring us level with the most experienced 
workers
in the
  field, quite soon - just as Kurt promised. Not many people get this 
kind
of opportunity.


  Hey, Richard.

  Those are good skills. And you left out the neurology, which I 
don't think
is
  insignificant in the least.

  Both of us need a deeper XML background. Beyond that, your DB 
knowledge
complements
  my programming history. Skills like those make it worthwhile for 
Kurt to
spend
  attention on this group. Michael is getting into end-applications
research. And the
  others, as far as I can see, have a pretty good grip on relevant 
topics.
Nobody's
  wasting space here.

  I note that your researches have brought both Groves and WorldOS 
into the
framework
  of discussion. Spot on target.

  Nobody begrudges time spent with your girlfriend.

  And when it comes to self-doubt, I guess I can still take the likes 
of you
on points.

  :-)

  Seeya
  Jonathan

  but look who follows in my train a desert ant a tamerlane
  who ate a pyramid in half that he might get at and devour
  the mummies of six hundred kings who in remote antiquity
  stepped on and crushed ancestors of his

  - archy's life of mehitabel






----------------------------------------------------------------------
------
--



----------------------------------------------------------------------
------
--
  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  xpl-unsubscribe@o...
--- End forwarded message ---