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Invisible wrote:
> Invisible wrote:
>
>> This seems relevant:
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice%27s_theorem
>>
>> Now, if only it wasn't completely incomprehensible...
>
> So, to summarise:
>
> For any property that some functions have and some functions don't
> have, it is impossible to tell whether a given function has that
> property just by examining the computer program that implements the
> function.
>
> (Or rather, for one specific program it might be possible, but it's not
> possible for *every possible* program...)
>
> Is that about right?
Yes, that sounds right to within the limits of english prose vs mathematics.
:-) Pluralize "computer program" and you're a touch closer, since there can
be many programs that implement the same function, but you can't tell what
they are. ;-)
Basically, you can think of it as "you can turn any problem into the halting
problem." Anything that some programs do and some don't, you can turn into
the halting problem.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
"We'd like you to back-port all the changes in 2.0
back to version 1.0."
"We've done that already. We call it 2.0."
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