A Computer Is ...
Computers process information by deterministically following instructions, called executing instructions
Unlike humans, computers follow instructions exactly
- Computers have no imagination or creativity
- Computers have no intuition
- Computers are literal, with no sense of irony, subtlety, proportion, …
- Computers don’t joke, they’re not vindictive or cruel
- Computers are not purposeful
… computers only execute instructions
If a computer has any useful characteristics, it’s because
someone has programmed it -- given it the instructions --