

Phylobinary Trees - chesterfield
http://www.scott-a-s.com/phylobinary-trees

======
scott_s
I wrote this last year, but the notion was kicking around in my head for (I
think) years prior. The notion that many (most?) of our running programs have
an unbroken lineage that goes back decades is still something that is
fascinating to me.

When doing systems research, I often argue that we have to treat computer
systems like mini-universes: there's enough complex interaction of parts that
experimentation is the only reliable way of figuring out what, exactly, is
going on. I'm fascinated that we have have to use the scientific method to
understand our own creation. This biology parallel is another component of
that.

------
dkural
Digital organisms in the future will search for their ancient roots in these
phylobinary trees. They will worship different sect based on different beliefs
of THE founder compiler. They will deify the human who hand-wrote the first
compiler..

~~~
araes
Grace Hopper as god? Probably worse picks if you're deifying. Otherwise, its
likely the FORTRAN team at IBM, and nobody wants that. (Beside IBM, John
Backus, FORTRAN fans, ect...)

\---

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the machine, and the Word
was the machine.

The Word was in the beginning with the machine.

All things were made through the Word, and without the Word was not any thing
made.

In the Word was life, and the life was the light of all machine kind.

The light of the Word shone in the darkness, and the darkness shall not
overcome.

