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Engineers in the 19th century would be amazed that we can build mechanisms with thousands of moving parts — functions, classes, packages — just by typing on a k
by heads 3y ago
Engineers in the 19th century would be amazed that we can build mechanisms with thousands of moving parts — functions, classes, packages — just by typing on a keyboard. Not only that but they also spin around in the order of millions to billions of times a second and every computer in the world can talk to any other computer. Most of these machines are the size of a bar of chocolate and a huge amount of the software is given away for free in an ecosystem of OSS, applications, and programming languages thriving on competition.
I see your point about a lack of modern day gumption in the physical world but I sleep at night knowing that what we do with software more than makes up for it.
- cm2187 3y agoAnd also the only way they could embed logic into objects was through some very convoluted physical mechanism.
- globular-toast 3y agoThose physical mechanisms did have advantages, though. The signals on railways would physically interlock so you couldn't accidentally clear two trains to enter the same portion of track. Perhaps the electrical circuits on modern signalling systems have similar interlocks and it isn't all left up to software (at a minimum you wouldn't want to ever let the system go "all green", for example).
- synecdoche 3y agoIt is common for industrial safety relays to have mechanical interlocks internally. https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/td/700-td556_-en-p.pdf https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literat...
- kstrauser 3y agoThat’s still the case. My mom was Wire Chief at a railroad, and when something broke, everything failed safely and ground movement to a halt until she could get the problem fixed. Failsafe systems are still common where safety or vast expense is at stake.
- creer 3y agoA bit surprising: nobody had override powers? Possibly sending someone over to flip the switch?
- timeon 3y ago> Engineers in the 19th century would be amazed Would they? https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-19th-century-vision-of-the-year-2000/ https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-19th-century-vis...