On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 9:00 PM, jtd <[email protected]> wrote: > an excellent article and subsequent discussion on why software is > maths. The article is in prepartion for presenting to the USPTO waht > constitutes an abstract idea. > > http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20100915004250723 > > The gist of the argument is that math is a method for processing > symbols (representations of data) and the resultant is always symbols > (or representations of data). This activity of processing symbols can > be done simply by paper and pencil. Software does exactly the same > processing of symbols, replacing paper and pencil, with a > programmable machine, with the end result always being more symbols. >
Your summary does not seem to make things clear. Mathematics is basically a form of formal reasoning. In fact all formal reasoning is mathematics. Computable mathematics forms a part of it. Computable mathematics in a practical 'feasible' sense is representable as software. The latter would again be a representation of reasoning irrespective of the process of making it (man made or machine made). Softwares are necessarily representation of reasoning processes/schemes. These will always be copies of known things in AI, day to day life, human interaction etc in mathematical terms. Even if people were to do research work using programming language primitives, it would still be the same. Any expert system capable of genuine learning (definition?) would need different kind of laws. No patents should ever be allowed on such things. AI is not a well defined concept. In the world of western law, things are far worse. They patent everything based on the absurd principle that 'all new physical /abstract? objects/ideas are patentable'. All patents are evil. While arguing against s/w patents, nobody should try justifying other forms of patents. Best A. Mani -- A. Mani ASL, CLC, AMS, CMS http://www.logicamani.co.cc _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
