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The distinction that data has no meaning without code is unconvincing. The code has no meaning without a compiler or interpreter. The compiler and interpreter
by halfcat 3y ago
The distinction that data has no meaning without code is unconvincing.
The code has no meaning without a compiler or interpreter.
The compiler and interpreter have no meaning without a CPU.
If I store x86 CPU instructions in a Postgres database, is that data or code?
It’s also a worth viewing this in light of different computing models. The main mechanism may look quite different if you’re looking at a CPU, GPU, or DSP model of computing.
- somesoftdev 3y agoI believe code holds meaning even without a compiler or interpreter. I can read code and discern its functionality. I can even recognize existing algorithms such as quicksort. I can achieve the same understanding with pseudocode, which lacks an existing compiler. Similarly, prompts possess meaning; I can comprehend the task delegated to a machine learning model by reading the prompt. I agree that both code and data are akin in terms of meaning. Transitioning from Assembly language to Python liberates us from concerns about registers and low-level intricacies. Python directs our attention to the problems we aim to solve, in contrast to low-level languages where a significant effort is spent on specifying hardware operations. High-level languages emphasize outcomes, enabling us to focus on the result rather than meticulously instructing the hardware. AI propels us further along this trajectory. In this sense, I view a prompt and code as rather similar.