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The Principals of 'Pataphysical Programming

illposed.com

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Re: The Principals of 'Pataphysical Programming

#2

Post by mattdw »

The article doesn't get very concrete, and given the origins of "'pataphysics" as parody I'm not sure how seriously to take this.

On the other hand, treating software systems as realities in their own right – with only incidental mappings back to our reality – is a fascinating idea. (Obviously an entirely self-contained reality is no good; I/O are pretty fundamental.) I guess the question is, what happens when we stop requiring software model things, and instead let it be things?

Re: The Principals of 'Pataphysical Programming

#6

Post by skermes »

mattdw wrote: post #2

The article doesn't get very concrete, and given the origins of "'pataphysics" as parody I'm not sure how seriously to take this. On the other hand, treating software systems as realities in their own right – with only incidental mappings back to our reality – is a fascinating idea. (Obviously an entirely self-contained reality is no good; I/O are pretty fundamental.) I guess the question is, what happens when we sto…

Based on the prose examples the article gives (the chess/lunch story and the crucifixion/bike race story), it looks like a truly 'pataphysical system wouldn't need IO at all. Instead, you'd have a program of some sort, that was simultaneously doing 'pataphysical computation and mundane computation. In the story of Jesus and the bike race, the narrative never shifts between the story of racing up the hill and the story of Jesus being killed on a cross, the story is both at the same time throughout. By analogy, I suspect the article would like us to consider what kind of system we'd need to construct in order to, I suppose, be a story about a bike race (or something else equally removed from programmer's usual domain) and an application to serve web pages at the same time.

Of course, given 'pataphysic's status as "the science of imaginary solutions" I won't be holding my breath for a 'pataprogrammatical Rails-killer anytime soon, but it's a fun idea.

Re: The Principals of 'Pataphysical Programming

#7

Post by stcredzero »

skermes wrote: post #6
mattdw wrote: post #2

The article doesn't get very concrete, and given the origins of "'pataphysics" as parody I'm not sure how seriously to take this. On the other hand, treating software systems as realities in their own right – with only incidental mappings back to our reality – is a fascinating idea. (Obviously an entirely self-contained reality is no good; I/O are pretty fundamental.) I guess the question is, what happens when we sto…

Based on the prose examples the article gives (the chess/lunch story and the crucifixion/bike race story), it looks like a truly 'pataphysical system wouldn't need IO at all. Instead, you'd have a program of some sort, that was simultaneously doing 'pataphysical computation and mundane computation. In the story of Jesus and the bike race, the narrative never shifts between the story of racing up the hill and the stor…

I won't be holding my breath for a 'pataprogrammatical Rails-killer anytime soon

What, Django doesn't count? (ducks)

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