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> instructions are data. is an insight I've often seen attributed to von Neumann, but isn't it just the basic idea of a universal Turing machine? - one basic m
by griffzhowl 2y ago
> instructions are data.
is an insight I've often seen attributed to von Neumann, but isn't it just the basic idea of a universal Turing machine? - one basic machine whose data encode the instructions+data of an arbitrary machine. What was von Neumann's innovation here?
- thezipcreator 2y agoTuring machines' instructions are different from their data; a Turing machine has a number of states that it flips between depending on what it reads from the tape.
- frutiger 2y agoGP is referring to universal Turing machines (those that can emulate an arbitrary Turing machine) and not a specific Turing machine.