Microsoft's light-based computer marks 'the unravelling of Moore's Law'
Microsoft's light-based computer marks 'the unravelling of Moore's Law'
Analog, iterative machines ditch binary transistor switches for photons and electrons to process at the speed of light.
It's a very interesting sounding device in a terrible article written by someone who clearly doesn't understand how it works.
Hopefully Arstechnica posts a more in depth write up on this.
Someone smarter than me tell me if this is amazing and game changing or boring and niche.
I wouldn't say I'm smarter than you, rather I just know some stuff about how computer components work, but what you're looking at is the latter.
The problem with trying to move to another type of computer is that modern software is designed solely for digital machines. Considering what's been stated above, how do you port these programs to another type of computer?
The answer is that you don't. Porting to different CPU architectures can already take some time for most programs, but asking for a port to a fundamentally different type of computer will take an incredibly long amount of time.
That is, if you can even port anything. Considering that digital and analogue computers are completely different, functional clones would have to be made instead by referencing source code. If you don't have the source, you're outta luck.
TL,DR: We've over-invested in digital computers and there's no going back.
For some reason this 3D model reminds me of a very specific pixel art…
Oh no no no. I erased that GIF from my mind, I don't want it back.