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From: -hh <recscuba_google@huntzinger.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Rewriting SSA. Is This A Chance For GNU/Linux?
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2025 16:39:40 -0400
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On 4/5/25 18:27, c186282 wrote:
> On 4/5/25 3:40 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 05/04/2025 20:22, c186282 wrote:
>>> Analog ... 
>>
>> Massive arrays of non linear analogue circuits for modelling things 
>> like the Navier Stokes equations would be possible: Probably make a 
>> better stab at climate modelling then the existing shit.
> 
>    Again with analog, it's the sensitivity to especially
>    temperature conditions that add errors in. Keep
>    carrying those errors through several stages and soon
>    all you have is error, pretending to be The Solution.
>    Again, perhaps some meta-material that's NOT sensitive
>    to what typically throws-off analog electronics MIGHT
>    be made.
> 
>    I'm trying to visualize what it would take to make
>    an all-analog version of, say, a payroll spreadsheet :-)

Woogh!  That makes my brain hurt.


>    Now discrete use of analog as, as you suggested, doing
>    multiplication/division/logs initiated and read by
>    digital ... ?
> 
>    Oh well, we're out in sci-fi land with most of this ...
>    may as well talk about using giant evil brains in
>    jars as computers  :-)
> 
>    As some here have mentioned, we may be closer to the
>    limits of computer power that we'd like to think.
>    Today's big trick is parallelization, but only some
>    kinds of problems can be modeled that way.
> 
>    Saw an article the other day about using some kind
>    of disulfide for de-facto transistors, but did not
>    get the impression that they'd be fast. I think
>    temperature resistance was the main thrust - industrial
>    apps, Venus landers and such.

Actually, one of the things that Analog's still good at is real world 
control systems with feeback loops and all the like.

I had one project some time 'way back in the 80s where we were 
troubleshooting a line that had a 1960s era analog control system, and 
one of the conversations that came up was if to replace it with digital. 
It got looked into and was determined that digital process controls 
weren't fast enough for the line.

Fast-forward to ~2005.  While back visiting that department, I found out 
that that old analog beast was still running the line and they were 
trolling eBay for parts to keep it running.

On another visit ~2015, the update:  they finally found a new digitally 
based control system that was fast enough to finally replace it & did.


-hh