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Comment by detourdog | Hacker News Reader

This project shares so many foundational computing ideals this represents the best aspects of “the many eyes surfacing not just bugs but assumptions”.

I’m actually more interested in developing from the riscV branch.

Thinking about computers in the 100 year time frame I decided that processing “local” symbols is better than more sophisticated processes. The risc-V direct access to symbol development is where I want to start defining my “local” symbols.

The hope is that this line of thought will reduce the number of abstraction layers between the user and their environment.

CHERI having these concepts defined for risc-v creates a foundation for local processing Of symbols with a “good computing seal of integrity. I also see it as leading to less re-invention which should help progress.

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Hi, sorry, this is all quite a bit above my head but I am interested in alternate architectures, would you mind expanding on what kinds of symbols you're talking about? My mind jumps to the members of an instruction set, but I assume you would have called them instructions in that case, what's the alternative to a local symbol?

Sorry I'm always trying to keep it simple.

The symbols I'm discussing were first documented by Claude Shannon. When I'm discussing symbols or large circuits I consider them interchangeable views of the same thing. They represent each other.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Shannon

I'm actually a designer so if I wanted to describe them as instructions I easily could. I'm a stickler for language so I believe that the use of the term instructions limits the conversation because it is too specific to communicate what I'm thinking about.

I would say an early example local symbol development might be libC. Our current computing environment evolved from the Personal Computing revolution and the internet. This came about through commercial interests and public adoption. I see this development as reaffirming the ideals first proposed by the "mother of all demos".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos

What I consider a "local" symbol is being demonstrated by Apple with their on device ML. The highest ideal to me is that everyone develops their own personal symbol table of digital services. I see CHERI as offering the fast track to that type of computing. I see this a integrating rather than programming.

Intriguing, thanks, I'll have to marinate on that.

I'm a big fan of the mother of all demos. Have you happened to have read "what the dormouse said" ? It has a great narrative of that event including all the behind the scenes action that Stewart Brand contributed, like setting up the TV broadcast truck on top of the hill to relay the video output and importantly the sounds of the mainframe back in Menlo park.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Dormouse_Said

I haven't read that book yet. I have been meaning to but just haven't gotten to it.

I can't believe we can watch the "mother of all demos". That alone proves its significance.

My favorite aspect of the demo is that it reveals that our human computing desires are universal and have been there from the start. It has taken generations to achieve the mass adoptions of these ideas. This realization takes the mystique away from the BigCo and their services. They are simple human desires for technology that were obvious from the beginning.

See the references I just posted, crossing with that, for CHERI-RISC-V if others are interested.

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