9 Mar
2023
9 Mar
'23
2:42 a.m.
On 2023-03-09 02:32, Dave McGuire wrote:
On 3/8/23 20:14, Robert Armstrong wrote:
It really seems a flag is needed. The node database can enumerate
computing hardware, which is of value, but it can also enumerate all
nodes, whatever their purpose or capabilities.
While I can of course add such a flag, at the moment I'm not really
getting why.
Are we just trying to make some kind of distinction between an embedded
system and some generic user environment?
Something like IOS can certainly be used interactively, and you can
manipulate the system and work on various aspects. But in general, I do
not expect that you can run arbitrary binaries on it.
On the other hand, some network booted RSX-11S system with no file
system, what would you classify that as? It can also only run binaries
that are included in the system image, or possibly loaded over the
network. But it;s still a PDP-11. Isn't that "general purpose computing
hardware"?
It's always extremely risky to try and make distinctions based on some
subjective definition which is at best very floating.
I think we'd first need to define what we actually would want to accomplish.
Johnny
--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt(a)softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
Um,
routers are true DECnet nodes.
They're DECnet nodes, but they aren't "computers". You can't do
anything
with them except route messages. Can't log in, edit files, compile
programs, play Adventure or Star Trek, nothing :)
We have different goals - I'm not counting nodes, I'm counting general
purpose computing hardware.