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"Strictly speaking, the number of pages out there is infinite -- for example, web calendars may have a "next day" link, and we could follow that link forever, e
by hhm 18y ago
"Strictly speaking, the number of pages out there is infinite -- for example, web calendars may have a "next day" link, and we could follow that link forever, each time finding a "new" page."
Strictly speaking, even that would keep the number of pages finite, even if very, very big. Any amount of data you can produce with any number of finite computers (with finite and bounded memory -there are practical bounds for memory sizes), will always be finite.
- derefr 18y agoThat's the same as saying an infinite data structure is finite; just because it cannot be practically evaluated before the heat death of the universe doesn't mean it isn't theoretically infinite.
- hhm 18y agoNo: with a finite amount of memory, the amount of information you can generate in infinite time is finite.
- derefr 18y agoYou're assuming the systems themselves wouldn't grow or be upgraded over time.
- hhm 18y agoNo; I'm saying the amount of information at any given time is finite, which is what the original article was talking about. But even if there is growth in memory size (say that memory size increases linearly), the information you get at any specific instant is finite (even if unbounded)... just as you have infinite natural numbers but none of them has an infinite value. But anyway, with finite space even in infinite time you couldn't build an infinite memory. And also... the original article was talking about the size of the system at a specific instant, so growth doesn't matter here.
- ntoshev 18y agoGiven infinite time, the number of pages that could be generated is infinite.
- crocus 18y agoOnly if they take no energy to generate.
- hhm 18y agoWith a finite amount of memory, the amount of information you can generate in infinite time is finite.
- ntoshev 18y agoYou don't have to store every page you generate.
- hhm 18y agoNo, but at least I suppose that pages are bounded by size, because of the memory of the generator, or of the viewer. Say the maximum size of a page you can build is N, then there is a maximum finite value of different pages / urls you can fit in N too. So, even if you have infinite time, with your finite computers you'll have finite amounts of pages. Now, if you are going to have pages and urls that are bigger in size than the memory of even the biggest computers in the world, so that you can't hold them in memory at any time, then the point above isn't useful for you (and in this case you are right). But urls bigger than memory are probably useless, even if webpages bigger than memory aren't. And if you have to have urls that are finite... then my point holds: even in infinite time, you won't have infinite amounts of urls.
- ntoshev 18y agoYou don't need to keep in memory the page you generate either.
- 18y ago