All computers do is “numbers”

• you put numbers into them

• it messes with the numbers

• it gives you some numbers back

All computers do is “numbers”

All computers do is “numbers”

(but, you can store anything in numbers)

which

'might act upon other things besides number... the

Engine might compose elaborate and scientific

pieces of music of any degree of complexity or

extent'.

aka

"Computers might not just do math, but also pictures and stuff"

"Are you crazy, lady?"

"Ada Lovelace in front of a powerful gaming computer making AI art, looking at camera smiling because she was right"

All computers do is follow a very

precise list of instructions that one or

more people wrote.

(much more on this later, but .. Kaleidoscope)

Let’s tighten up our definition of computer a bit:

It needs the ability to have changeable instructions

Computing Processing Unit

Brains of the operation.

“Does” the things.

(which is really, does the math )

FOR MOST OF WHAT WE DO

Even old computers - generally less than a lamp.

..touch it. ☺

The “Board.” That's about it.

Reliance on this layer is increasingly rare, for obvious reasons.

(ROM used to mean this precisely: Read Only Memory...now it usually means the next thing...)

(Firmware)

Much of what you think of as “permanent” is more likely “firmware”

That is, technically changeable, but you don't do it a whole lot, only when you want to make deep, fundamental changes/updates to how the hardware operates.

( YET another badly named thing in computing)

So, imagine you're in the library using books to work on a paper like it's ancient history or something...

All ( historically local) information that you can get to. But "Cloud"

(long term memory)

Old school

Today

Vinyl Records, Floppies, Laserdiscs.

Any “disc,” really….

SSDs and RAM are very similar..

..so similar that you can expect them to converge.

For us humans, literally everything is eventually Analog.

The good: Digital usually means "better quality" and definitely means "doesn't degrade"

The good and bad:

Digital means can be converted/encrypted.

Good when we can keep secrets from "enemies;"

Bad when "enemies" can keep things from you...more in a bit

Keyboard

Touchscreen

Webcam

Microphone

Motion-Sensor

Mouses/Buttons/Sticks...and

Thermometers?

Smoke detectors?

Motion detection?

Heart Monitors? etc etc

(and other “Internet of things” stuff”)

“Internet of things” stuff here too?

Oculus Rift, Drones, lights/temp in your house, etc.

*but what are the “wires” lately? More to come

"New" hotness: Universal Serial Bus! (USB)

Input, output, charging, various sizes

(oh, and also whatever Apple's things are that should probably just be USB )

AND BY LAW IN MANY PLACES NOW ARE

Internet Data Oriented:

(preview of later..)

Application (HTTP, telnet, etc)

Presentation (framework MIME)

Session (pipe,SOCKS)

Transport (reliable packet delivery, TCP)

Network (nodes and address, IP)

Data (PPP)

Physical (wires, radio, USB)

• telephone lines (modem/DSL)

• tv cable

• wireless (802.11)

• satellites

• radio

• lasers (pointless, but true)

• fiber

Analog: “RCA” – usually the “1/8” in jack, sometimes 1/4

Digital: Bluetooth, USB, occasionally Ethernet and others

TV Video:

Computer Video

(yeah, these are almost gone. ALMOST)

Internet Data Oriented:

Roughly:

"Computer devices double in power and halve in price..

..every 18 months."

(have we hit the limit?)

Let’s tighten up our definition of computer a bit:

It needs the ability to have changeable instructions

Hopefully, yours?

Or someone that ACTUALLY CARES about you?

Or someone who can be relied on to do the right thing for you, maybe because you pay them, or they are required to by law?

(please feel free to freak out at the fact that it’s increasingly none of the above)

What if it’s made of “general purpose computer” parts...

...but then, someone thinks that NOT you

(or NOT someone you trust)

(or NOT someone you pay)

(or NOT even some paid public servant or figure)

should be able to write your own instructions for it?

Companies pretend that “hardware” and “software” can’t be separated to jack up prices

(i.e. non-changeable instructions)

To provide you with this AMAZING INTERFACE

We have to LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN AND DENY YOU ACCESS

To provide you with this AMAZING INTERFACE

We have to LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN AND DENY YOU ACCESS

“I’m sorry, this is a ‘chair’ hammer. You cannot build tables with it. This violates the warranty. Also, it is strongly suggested that you don’t tell other people how to build tables with it; and we will delete that discussion from the internet. Also, you talk to much about it, we may try to have you arrested.

If you have to manually root, jailbreak, unlock, or letterbomb it to make it do exactly what you want (or even worse, if you can't) maybe it shouldn't be considered a computer.

Perhaps, an appliance.

Don't get me started on the idea that a private company (as opposed to public law) can dictate what I do with legally obtained data or software...

...also, environmental impact

(if you agree, check out the "Right to Repair" movements.)

Moore’s Law got weird:

OLD SCHOOL – computers are expensive, so only build in functionality you need.

TODAY – computers are basically free, so f*** it. Throw the cheapest one in right NOW!!! Also

IoT security is garbage , because you throw an

ultracheap, untested computer in your toaster

to rush to market, and now your toaster is attacking your family.

Yep. Usually.

Funny, it's not talked about that much. Or enough.

Again, not the part that makes people Rich, or even popular

After all, email is "cloud" and yet we never used that word.

Probably a B2B thing — this was the first time the SERVERS were freed from the bare metal