5 ms·
SICP uses a John Locke quote to define abstraction: The third is separating them from all other ideas that accompany them in their real existence: this i
by CalChris 9y ago
SICP uses a John Locke quote to define abstraction:
The third is separating them from all other ideas
that accompany them in their real existence:
this is called abstraction
Oxford says: Freedom from representational qualities in art. You can't say that and then at the same time say, oh and it fits in a byte. You can't say that a function abstracts some code.
You could say that an interface abstracts a module. Or as Principles of Computer System Design says:
The separation of the interface specification of a module
from its internal implementation so that one can understand
and make use of that module with no need to know how it is
implemented internally
BTW, Wikipedia is awesome but I'm hella not going to take their description on this. H+P, SICP, DragonBook, ... some primary source but not Wikipedia. The above mentioned POCSD says:
The abstraction that models the active mechanism performing
computations. An interpreter comprises three components:
an instruction reference, a context reference,
and an instruction repertoire.
MS-BASIC doesn't fit that definition.
- dahart 9y agoHey I'm sorry you didn't like the article. I hope you can find some reading you do like, and comment on that instead. I love SICP, but I feel like you mistook an example of one kind abstraction as the definition of all abstraction. A function does abstract code. A programming language does abstract machine language. If you feel otherwise, good for you, but you've confirmed my suspicion that your definition is far removed from common usage. I hope that helps you understand all the pushback on your first comment, but otherwise I have nothing else to add. I don't want to argue over what abstraction is, we are already too far away from any specifics that matter.
- CalChris 9y agoThanks. I follow V8+WASM sort of closely and there are things I like there. But the Iron Rule of HN is that if you criticize, you will suffer! That's OK. I think it's important every once in awhile to plant your flag in the ground and make sure you can defend it; not to the point of trolling but do I really understand my opinion. I'll admit that my notion of interpreter is perhaps historically limited and that there have been others. In any case, I appreciate the back and forth. I learned things.