Re: No message for 6 months

[ianeast <ianeast@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>However, I disagree that we should be trying to change the name
>of occam because some people sneer at us. For one thing, they
>will figure out our new name and keep on kicking us out of their
>club. For another thing, a major development like the RMoX
>sounds like it is, will just leapfrog them. The world needs
>provably correct software.
I agree. I think it's a mistake to back off. The idea that something as 
right as occam can be regarded as 'obsolete' just because it's not new 
must be resisted. Ever since I joined my first CS department I have been 
appalled at the faddism and the absence of theoretical basis. occam 
stands out as a beacon. Let's not abandon it in the face of those who put 
fashion above reason.

IMHO what we have to do is persist in providing real, tangible 
advantages, in as many real, visible, applications as possible. Truth has 
a way of winning out in the end. It doesn't go away.

That's my ration of profundaty for this week, or maybe year, ...

Ian


Dr. Ian Robert East                                 ireast@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
School for Computing and Mathematical Sciences            44 1865 484529
Oxford Brookes University
Wheatley Campus
Oxford OX33 1HX

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