On Tue, 24 Sep 1996, Gary Howland wrote:
I fail to see *any* (non educational) use for these DNA "computers", let alone a cryptographic use - sure, they may be massively parallel, but what's the big deal? I can now perform a calculation a million times faster than I could yesterday? (something I personally doubt, but will agree to for sake of the argument). I could get the same results writing a cycle stealing Internet java app, so what's all the fuss about?
It sounds to me like your argument abstracts thusly: "Personally, I fail to see the point to the development of more powerful computers, since I can always steal time from other people's current technology computers." One could make this statement about _all_ advances in processor technology. And it boils down to this: you're not paying for it, so you don't see the point in getting more bang for the buck. People who are paying for it, and have neither the inclination nor the ability to steal, do see the point of getting more bang for the buck. And eventually even you'll benefit, when you find yourself writing a java applet to freeload processor time on someone else's DNA computer. Meanwhile, processor technology will have advanced because many people went out and paid for faster (Intel/PowerPC/PowerDNA/Whatever) CPU's. Not because you freeloaded off of someone else.
-- pub 1024/C001D00D 1996/01/22 Gary Howland <gary@systemics.com> Key fingerprint = 0C FB 60 61 4D 3B 24 7D 1C 89 1D BE 1F EE 09 06
Phil Fraering The above is the opinion of neither my internet pgf@acadian.net service provider nor my employer. 318/261-9649 "Pinky, your brain waves are giving The Amazing Kreskin a pounding headache."