Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uunet!decwrl!shelby!neon!pescadero.Stanford.EDU!philip From: philip@pescadero.Stanford.EDU (Philip Machanick) Newsgroups: comp.object Subject: Re: Global program state. Message-ID: <1991Jan4.191828.2403@Neon.Stanford.EDU> Date: 4 Jan 91 19:18:28 GMT References: <330@coatimundi.cs.arizona.edu> <2474@motcsd.csd.mot.com> Sender: news@Neon.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System) Reply-To: philip@pescadero.stanford.edu Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University Lines: 18 In article <2474@motcsd.csd.mot.com>, lance@motcsd.csd.mot.com (lance.norskog) writes: > No, I don't consider the millions of working programs a counter-example, > because I don't consider them to work. > > A program doesn't "work" because you (or somebody) thinks it works. > A program "works" if it can be mathematically proven to work. Experience > and operational time don't count. This isn't like quantum physics where > observation decides the matter. Empirical evidence doesn't enter into it. > > Lance > > Prove the Mac works. C'mon, I dare you. Would you be so good as to provide a formal specification of the Mac as a starting point? Otherwise, we don't know what you're asking us to prove. -- Philip Machanick philip@pescadero.stanford.edu