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From: bloomber@marlin.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.arch,net.ai
Subject: Alternate Computer Architectures (Naive Questions)
Message-ID: <596@marlin.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Jan-85 13:12:17 EST
Article-I.D.: marlin.596
Posted: Thu Jan 24 13:12:17 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Jan-85 06:50:58 EST
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Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
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Xref: watmath net.arch:763 net.ai:2482


  I have been reading some articles about alternate computer architectures
and am curious about the following:

  *** Optical Computers ***

  1. What work has been done in actually building an optical computer??
     (That is a computer whose logic states are determined by 
      properties of light)

  2. What are the advantages of such a computer?? (My understanding is 
     that processing speed is MUCH quicker than conventional architectures.
     How much faster?? Why??) Also, the amount of memory in a "crystal" drive
     is much greater than a normal disk drive (say, of the same volume).
     
  3. What would be a rough estimate of the costs of producing such a
     computer on a commercial basis?? Does this technology have the 
     potential to be mass reproducable.

  4. My understanding is that an optical computer would have multistate
     logic. What is the connection (if any) between fuzzy logic and 
     multistate logic?? Would such logic be more condusive to AI 
     applications??
     
  *** Molecular and Chemical Computers ***

  1. I read some eons ago about efforts to use organic molecules in a
     supercooled liquid as a memory device. Whatever happened to that
     line of research??

  2. Since human brain activity is electrical and chemical in nature,
     what efforts has been made to simulate the METHODOLOGY of human
     thought on a computer? For example, has any research been done
     to find the electrical and chemical sequence that occurs when
     someone is typing a line of text (like what I just did)??

  *** Logical Inference Machines ***

  My understanding is that a Logical Inference Machine has the
  fundamental unit of processing a "Logical Inference". What
  exactly is a "logical inference" in this context? Are these
  machines non-Von's or are they two separate things?? 


  I realize these questions are quite general in scope. My knowledge
  of computer architecture is quite limited. However, I would like
  to learn more and appreciate any responses the net community
  might offer.

                                                Mike
-- 

Real Life: Michael Bloomberg
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