[p2p-research] defining a (programming) language/annotation system ?

[Samuel Rose]

On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 8:38 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson
<dante.monson at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Sam !
> Can we create a form of representation/annotation which can also be used as
> a programming language ?


annotation cannot be used as a programming language. However, a
programming language could possibly use annotations applied, depending
on how the system is architected.

> Hence would there be an existing programming language that would be most
> suitable to express the objects and processes used ?

Any "Turing Complete" programming language could work to do the basic
processes that make up computation. It is best to create an abstract
of "objects and processes" which can then be implemented in any
existing or future programming language.

> Can we create a universal language

I was just thinking to myself yesterday that it is often a bad idea to
use the word "universal" in relation to languages. Because, in this
context, nothing can ever truly be "universal". There will always be
either cases you are not aware of, and/or languages that are not aware
of your "universality" effort. Thus, you'll always fall short of truly
being "universal". Therefore, using the word "universal" is inaccurate
and could be bad for present and future participant understanding of
the real nature of the system. It could create expectations which are
actually impossible.

>which can enable users to participate in,
> or even create any kind of architecture, building from a set of relations,
> objects, processes... and architectures of processes ( engines ? )

The funny thing is that what you describe above has already been done.
people *have* made this possible with basically any programming
language. There's a barrier to entry to those who are not programmers,
and even to programmers who do not have the time bandwidth to address
the problem properly.

> I m curious - What programming language(s) do you intend to use when
> creating an accounting toolkit ?

We started to implement in erlang. Although our initial creation will
likely be simple enough to be recreated in other languages.

> Does it correspond to the type of
> languages that could be used to define what I tried to express in this last
> message ?

The real mission is not to create one toolkit, or one programming
language, or one system, but convince as many participants as possible
to either implement a way for their systems to talk to other systems,
or get them to adopt a system that is designed for interoperability.
We have thousands of systems, but few people who understand that they
need to give the rest of the world some simple way to talk with their
system. It can be *any* standard, so long as it is decipherable and
callable outside of the local program it is deployed in. This would
then create an ecology that would allow *many* systems to be deployed,
*many* metaprogramming languages, etc. The limit would then only be
the limit of the physical resources of servers and machines to serve
data. Many information ecologies have already transitioned towards
this type of ecology (they all usually implement some form of API,
etc).

The other major mission that I see, also not creating a toolkit, but
rather making it easier for people to *be* participants. For example,
automating participation through barcode, RFID tracking, GPS tracking
etc

The above 2 combined are the ecology needed, I believe, for what you describe.

(Dante, I removed the 2 email lists you had CC'ed as I am not
subscribed to them and my message is definitely be blocked from being
sent to them. I include p2presearch list which may be interested in
this discussion, as well as Michel, Paul and Richard)


> Thanks !

-- 
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Sam Rose
Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation
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