Bonum Certa Men Certa

Computing Fundamentals

2020 figosdev

Index



IBM vs Core
Chapter 7: Computing Fundamentals



Summary: "A graphical interface is better, for some things -- sometimes. But it will also put a lot more on our plates."

Ask people to explain computing in as few words as possible, and many will start telling you about 1s and 0s. They're not wrong, binary computing is very useful and quite relevant in our modern world of tiny silicon-based switches.



But if you want to understand the fundamentals of computing, 1 and 0 doesn't tell you very much. A few computers, like the Harwell-Dekatron WITCH, even processed or stored numbers in base 10 like we normally do on paper. But what are these numbers doing?

"A few computers, like the Harwell-Dekatron WITCH, even processed or stored numbers in base 10 like we normally do on paper."As mentioned in the first chapter, modern computers evolved from automatic calculators. Creating a program is really telling the machine to move numeric values into certain places.

At the most fundamental level -- where I never do much of anything and a "low-level" coder could tell you far more, you are working exclusively with numeric codes for everything.

If that sounds incredibly tedious, it is. The main thing that people do on this level (called "machine code") is find ways to make coding easier.

In the very early days (the 1960s were futuristic by comparison) when someone wanted to use a computer, they would do all of it in numeric machine code, or they would punch data into cards that helped correspond single-character codes with numeric (consecutive) physical positions that the computer could read with a card reader.

These numeric codes went into "dictionaries" or paper code books. After some months or so, you might find that you had a dictionary with several useful computer "routines" in it.

"The difference between an interpreter and a compiler is a like the difference between hiring a personal translator and commissioning a translated work."The goal of making these hand-coded dictionaries into automatic programs became the basis for the first compiler. Like the BASIC interpreter in chapter 2, the job of a compiler is to translate codes that are friendlier to a human into numeric codes the computer understands.

This was a revolution for most of us, and while it started in the 1950s, by 1964 this revolution was exactly what made a beginner friendly computer language like BASIC possible.

Now instead of coding the letters H-E-L-L-O (SPACE) W-O-R-L-D into numeric ASCII codes (or Baudot teletype code, since ASCII didn't exist until around the same time BASIC did) and then entering the code to move the numeric data somewhere that it can be output to the screen, you just say:

    10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"


And run the program. Seems like a lot of trouble just to say two words, but before that it was a lot worse!

If you have followed along and actually installed Core on your "thought experiment" PC, you can run a single line of code very similar to the above line. Just type:

    echo Hello World


It will do exactly the same thing, only this command is for a 1970s-UNIX-style "shell" interpreter, rather than 1964 BASIC.

The difference between an interpreter and a compiler is a like the difference between hiring a personal translator and commissioning a translated work.

"The general rule is that compiled programs are better for tasks where speed is very important, but interpreted tasks are better for code that is going to be constantly tweaked."If you are talking to other people, and have a translator with you, the translator will do the "interpreting" for you as other people talk. Every time you run an interpreted program, you need to run the translation program.

While this has certain costs in terms of efficiency, it means that when you want to change something, you don't have to wait for it to translate the entire program again -- you can just start running the new version of the code immediately.

A compiler on the other hand, translates the entire program into computer-ready instructions. Whenever you run the compiled program, it will run without being compiled again -- but every time you change something you have to wait for the entire thing to compile.

"When you first run Core, it’s not obvious whether the thing you’re using is more sophisticated than the chip from the early 80s running BASIC on the C64."The general rule is that compiled programs are better for tasks where speed is very important, but interpreted tasks are better for code that is going to be constantly tweaked.

Many, though not all of the friendlier languages are interpreted, because it is easier to find and fix problems with shorter waits (or more complicated processes) between edits.

When you first run Core, it's not obvious whether the thing you're using is more sophisticated than the chip from the early 80s running BASIC on the C64. That's because all it gives you for an interface is text on a screen.

If you're used to fancy rectangles with animation and even video, you might look at a simple command prompt and wonder if this is just a throwback to the 70s. But this is an old cover on a much newer book.

Someone who has only used DOS or a C64 can marvel at everything Core has behind the prompt. With a single command you can download a file or a webpage from the Internet.

It might not be available with Core, but with Tiny Core or CorePlus you can play your MP3 files from the command line. And you can run Python, which is more advanced than pretty much any BASIC interpreter or compiler, ever.

"It might not be available with Core, but with Tiny Core or CorePlus you can play your MP3 files from the command line. And you can run Python, which is more advanced than pretty much any BASIC interpreter or compiler, ever."What's more, you can make it do these things automatically, in response to certain events or specific times -- you can even make it do these things in the "background", so that you can keep working or have it do more than one task at the same time.

Sure, you can do all of those things with a graphical system as well. And you need a lot more code to make that happen -- and lots more code means lots more opportunities for large projects to go wrong.

Apart from being a geek's canvas, the command line is also where you go if some parts of the system (like all that graphical stuff people run on top of the OS) aren't working properly. You can fix a number of things from the command line; it's a bit like opening the bonnet of your car.

"Apart from being a geek's canvas, the command line is also where you go if some parts of the system (like all that graphical stuff people run on top of the OS) aren't working properly."But the best part about the command line is that it's faster and easier to write code for. Nearly all frameworks for graphical tools add considerable overhead in terms of resources and code you must tend to.

When you talk to a voice assistant, you're doing something very similar to using the command line.

Selecting things from a series of menus can get tedious when you know the things you want. Imagine if instead of telling someone "I'd like the chef salad" your only choice was to open the menu, find the salad you wanted, and point to it -- and you had to order everything else that way too. When people order fast food, having a menu in front of them often slows them down.

If you had to order that way every day, or for 20 people, you would really start to hate flipping past page after page after page after page, poking at every item with your finger. Sometimes menus help with unfamiliar tasks. Then again, they had menus for the command line as well:

    1. Run Tetris



2. Run Word Processor

3. Quit


It isn't the point of this chapter, but you could -- with only things available to you from Core, code a little menu that displayed a list like the one here, using numbers to run each relevant command, with a number (or letter) that could tell the menu to quit.

Sometimes, instead of creating a menu, the easier thing to do is just take a command that already exists and giving it a name you prefer.

If you like the editor that's called "nano" but just want to say "edit" or even "e" (why not both? You can do both if you want) you can create a second command so that whenever you hit the letter "e" and then hit enter, it will run nano. That's even less work than hunting through icons on the desktop. Setting this up is also less work than creating a menu.

"A graphical interface is better, for some things -- sometimes. But it will also put a lot more on our plates."You can do far more than that, but menus are nice and easy. Shortcuts are nice and easy. Graphical environments can hide a lot of complexity, but they introduce even more of it in the process.

I'm using a graphical environment to type this -- in a window next to another window, in a text editor I helped create -- but did very little of the actual coding for.

And I'm running it in CorePlus. So don't think I'm "fundamentally" against graphical environments or anything. A graphical interface is better, for some things -- sometimes. But it will also put a lot more on our plates.

Licence: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (public domain)

Recent Techrights' Posts

Why the Microsoft People Who Started SLAPPs Against Techrights Could Very Well be Sent Back to Prison
White-collar crime is also a crime
 
What statCounter Shows Today Helps Explain Microsoft's Helplessness, Mass Layoffs
Since many US journalists are already away on holiday almost nobody will dare ask the difficult questions or give a voice to whistleblowers
Microsoft Gets the Chop in South America
The notion of digital sovereignty gained a lot of popularity
Europe Has an 'Exit'
Let's see what happens the rest of this year
El Presidente Talks, Canada Walks (Away From Windows)
GNU/Linux rising
Cities in France and Germany Move to GNU/Linux and statCounter Detects Big Differences
Will governments lead by example?
Microsoft Lost Its Foothold in Africa
How many of these are "old" Windows machines converted to GNU/Linux? Probably a lot.
Led by Europe, GNU/Linux Makes Big Gains This Month
statCounter started showing new/fresh stats
Links 02/07/2025: Massive Microsoft Layoffs About to Commence, "Tesla's Robotaxi Program Is Failing"
Links for the day
The Company Run by Former (and Last Proper) Red Hat CEO, Promoting Microsoft Mono, Faces Shock as Senior Partner Jailed for 33 Sexual Offenses Including Pedophilia
"As reported by The Oxford Mail in April 2025, the offenses include rape, sexual assault, engaging in non-penetrative activity with a child, and more."
Microsoft Lost 29% of Windows Users, Based on Microsoft, Now Come Massive Layoffs
Microsoft collapse is today
Slopwatch: Google Serves to People Linux Slop and Linux FUD (Made by Bots)
"Slopwatch" finds it difficult to ignore Google's role in encouraging LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
"Wayland People" Behave Like the Googles and Microsofts of This World
Published yesterday by Igor Ljubuncic
Gemini Links 02/07/2025: Arch Linux and Fulfillment in Gemini
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2025: "Independence Day in Taiwan", Bounties on Software Patents
Links for the day
What Happens When Your Law Firm is Preoccupied With Harassing and Trying to Extort a Humble Couple in Manchester, Even on Behalf of Violent Microsoft Staff From Another Continent
It's good to see that law firms which operate in bad faith are perishing
Lawyer X, Law Firm X and Elon Musk's X: scandals linked by Old Xaverian
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 01/07/2025: Distraction-Free Writing and Hytale Mismanagement
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2025: "Beauty of Blogging" and "Etiquette of Collapse"
Links for the day
Microsoft Uses LLM Slop to Defraud (or Rob) Shareholders
Microsoft is basically defrauding its shareholders by LLM slop
The Web is a Dead End
We need to adopt alternatives
When Words Lose Their Intended Meaning
examples of words that, at least in the technical spheres, don't mean what they sound like
People Who Disagree With You on Technical Matters May or May Not Agree With You on Political Things (But Usually They Do)
What bothers me a great deal is seeing left-leaning people accusing other left-leaning people of being "nazis"
"Too Much Choice" and "Too Many Programming Languages"
What IBM and its apologists aim for was attempted in the 1930s and it failed
Microsoft Lost 400,000,000 Windows Users, According to Microsoft
more people adopt smaller computers and many people replace Windows with GNU/Linux, as they don't really need a new computer
The "Davos Effect": Tarnishing the Reputation of Places Not by Overtourism But by Oligarch Infestation
The last Venice needs is an affiliation with Venetian oligarchs
Half a Year Gone, What's to Come Next
In the second half of 2025 we expect to be done with the Microsoft SLAPPs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 30, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 30, 2025
People at the Very Top of Microsoft Know How Bad Things Really Are
There's no product that can replace the former profitability of Windows licensing and stuff that went on top of Windows
Gemini Links 01/07/2025: Mid Year and a Tour of Old Languages
Links for the day
EPO Presentation Bemoans Misuse of Slop in Decision-Making on Patents and in Classification (Which is Likely Illegal Too)
We habitually mention failed use cases of LLMs on the Web
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Confirmed, "XBox Hardware Is Dead"
It's possible that over 20% of the staff will be laid off
Links 30/06/2025: Kyrgyzstan vs Media Freedom, Dalai Lama Succession
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/06/2025: Backend Programs in Gemini and Dynamic Content Without The Scripting
Links for the day
Links 30/06/2025: Zuckerberg’s Tax-Evading Scheme Harms Kids, US Copyright Office Lacks Leadership
Links for the day
Microsoft Isn't Laying Off Tens of Thousands to 'Invest' in Slop ('Hey Hi'), It's Laying Off Tens of Thousands Because It's Running Out of Money (and Willing Lenders)
the layoffs are a sign of the business failing, not "hey hi" (whatever that is) replacing staff
Intel Lays Off 20% of Its Workforce, Microsoft is Doing the Same This Year
Like a yoyo, whatever goes up will come back down
Microsoft XBox Layoffs: Almost 2,000 Layoffs Became "Over 2,000"? (Over 20% of the Staff)
over 20% of staff will be let go, not counting staff that leaves voluntarily
GNU/Linux Rises to New Highs in Angola, Africa in General is Abandoning Windows
Western media barely covers Microsoft layoffs in Africa, but in recent years Microsoft culled the workforce and even shut down entire operations
Summer Plans in Techrights and Elsewhere
massive layoffs at Microsoft
Destination Geminispace (in the Age of LLM Slop and Slop Images That Infest the Web and Social Control Media)
Geminispace isn't vast, but at least it is - on average - a lot "cleaner"
GNU/Linux Growing in Sierra Leone This Year
Based on what statCounter is seeing, this year there are more and more people there who adopt GNU/Linux
Serial Sloppers Gonna Slop
More sites out there ought to call out the cheaters
Quartz (qz.com) is Spam and a Slopfarm
It used to be OK. Then they fired the staff.
Links 30/06/2025: US Economic Woes, Extreme Heat
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 29, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 29, 2025
Gemini Links 30/06/2025: "The AI Hype" and New AuraGem Ask
Links for the day