4 ms·
The aesthetics is what is making this thing possible. Thinking with the old words would not allow development of new things. I don't know if this is good or ba
by fiatjaf 11y ago
The aesthetics is what is making this thing possible. Thinking with the old words would not allow development of new things.
I don't know if this is good or bad, but it is sincerely trying to do new things, so a new language is appropriate.
- Rusky 11y agoNew things are developed every day with old words. There are existing words for just about everything Urbit does.
- jpt4 11y agoIndeed, even a Post Res mathematical structuralist will admit the instrumental utility of common words for similar entities; would you care to list a few, and their mappings between the jargon of Earth and Mars?
- fiatjaf 11y agoYou didn't get it. Not radically new things. There are existing words, but using them wouldn't allow the people from Urbit to think about combining concepts in the radically different way they are doing. In fact, they would end up saying: well, all we are trying to do already exists, so let's just write a library here, another there. You can argue this would be better, but their goal is to do a completely different thing, even if it looks it could be done with a new library for something.
- Rusky 11y agoNo... I got what you meant. But there are plenty of new languages and even reinvent-the-world projects that reuse existing terminology just fine. There's nothing about using existing words that makes it harder to "develop new things"- in fact, it makes it easier.
- eggy 11y agoNew things? Is Urbit based on Unix/Linux and the Von Neumann architecture? If so, it is just cosmetic coating on top of the same old foundation. I really like what's going on with people trying to create something like Urbit or old Lisp Machines on new hardware (not Von Neumann based). Interim OS, PilOS (PicoLisp on bare metal). I am still not sold on immutable data is the way forward either. I am reading a 1991 book by Peter M. Kogge "The Architecture of Symbolic Computers", playing with Shen, and interested to see what becomes of vector-based computing hardware with a language like J/APL. Lisp Machines still enthrall me, and I think a new take on them can be just what's needed to recreate computing. Not just a copy of the old Lisp Machines, but an entire rethinking of them.
- jpt4 11y agoFor another Kogge devotee, see Loper OS: http://www.loper-os.org/?p=8 http://www.loper-os.org/?p=8
- eggy 11y agoYes, I am familiar with his blog and writings. I would love to see what comes of Loper OS. He has examples of what he does for his day job - Lisp and robotics for one thing. He certainly puts his money where his mouth is, a very productive guy.