[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: <<snippety, snip>> > Or you could go the EEPROM/CDROM route like most game consoles did. That's > easier on the practicality side, but still isn't as flexible as a > general-purpose PC.
Which, of course, raises the question _today_, do _most_ computer users for _all_ their actual computer requirements _need_ a von Neumann Architecture GP computer, or would they be better off buying a Harvard Architecture system and their "applications" in cartridges, or similar? The basic machine would probably be a little more expensive and the applications might be a little more expensive, but that would be offset by the removal of any need (even desire) to buy things like antivirus apps, IPS, IDS, etc, etc, or ongoing costs of calling out security fix- it guys, replacing the machine ahead of time because it was far too riddled with crud-ware, etc, etc. von Neaumann made it easier, quicker and therefore cheaper to develop "complex" systems, especially given the then current hardware (and hence performance) restrictions in the early days of computing. Given what all those "old guys" knew way back then about what was so terribly wrong regarding securing von neumann systems, and given they were already obviously terribly cynical (aka "realistic") about the likelihood of those problems being permanently addressed, why were these issues not addressed at some point when the cost/performance points started to be more favourable? Regards, Nick FitzGerald _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/
