Display.exe: Posted to document the date of my invention

[MrRadish]

Bob would not say he has written a program unless he has done just that.
He is also trying to make a point.

So you actually believe that Pastor Bob Enyart has, in fact, written an original, unique, fully-functional executable computer program, in a programming language that is usable by a contemporary computer, which acts as a seachable database of all books ever published and all possible books that currently exist only in potentia.

Not being funny, but seriously, don't get your hopes up. If Bob were that good at programming he wouldn't be earning a living as an obscure radio talk host in Colorado.

[genuineoriginal]

So you actually believe that Pastor Bob Enyart has, in fact, written an original, unique, fully-functional executable computer program, in a programming language that is usable by a contemporary computer

Yep.

, which acts as a seachable database of all books ever published and all possible books that currently exist only in potentia.

Now you are trying to add features to the program.
Display.exe can display pages from any book ever published.
Bob never said it could act as a searchable database.

Not being funny, but seriously, don't get your hopes up. If Bob were that good at programming he wouldn't be earning a living as an obscure radio talk host in Colorado.

He was good enough at programming to work for Microsoft.

[Knight]

Bob needs to cut to the chase.

Do you have somewhere to be?

[MrRadish]

Now you are trying to add features to the program.
Display.exe can display pages from any book ever published.
Bob never said it could act as a searchable database.

Aha! In that case, it's no better than Microsoft Image Gallery. That can display pages from any book ever published, provided that it is given the correct data with which to do it.

[kmoney]

Now you are trying to add features to the program.
Display.exe can display pages from any book ever published.
Bob never said it could act as a searchable database.

So when he says it displays the "pages", does that mean it is only a particular page of a book and not the entire book?

When this alleged program displays a page from a book, are you aware of what is being displayed?

[kmoney]

Aha! In that case, it's no better than Microsoft Image Gallery. That can display pages from any book ever published, provided that it is given the correct data with which to do it.

From what Bob says, you don't need to give any data for the program to work.

[kmoney]

Do you have somewhere to be?

At the moment? Not really.

[kmoney]

Quite, yes. But my point is it's going to end up being a pound-shop stand-in for a real argument as to why his own Open Theist views are correct.

Based on his mention of a Supreme Court case, I think this may be about intellectual property rights.

[genuineoriginal]

So when he says it displays the "pages", does that mean it is only a particular page of a book and not the entire book?

It can display any and all pages from any book, so it will display the entire book when it displays all the pages.

When this alleged program displays a page from a book, are you aware of what is being displayed?

It depends on how good you are at recognizing the page displayed.

[genuineoriginal]

Aha! In that case, it's no better than Microsoft Image Gallery. That can display pages from any book ever published, provided that it is given the correct data with which to do it.

From what Bob says, you don't need to give any data for the program to work.

What kmoney said.


It is better than Microsoft Image Gallery because you don't need to give it data for it to work.

[MrRadish]

Fair enough. Anyway, I'm bored of this game now. I'm going to stop speculating on what the answer to Bob's clever little riddle might be, because I'm inevitably just going to be peeved and frustrated by the answer.

Have fun, gentlemen.

[kmoney]

It can display any and all pages from any book, so it will display the entire book when it displays all the pages.

But does it display the pages in order? Or does it just display pages randomly so it will display a page from 1 book and then display a page from another book next?

It depends on how good you are at recognizing the page displayed.

So it just displays data without telling you what it is. Wonderful.

[elohiym]

Why would the future have to be known?

I say future because you said a future unpublished book, unless I misunderstood you. To me that implies a book still in the mind of an author.

There is a finite amount of ways to arrange sentences on a paper, given enough time couldn't the computer program run through all of them? That wouldn't be evidence one way or the other for the future being known.

That's an interesting point. However, I think a computer program being able to create word-for-word a book that I will write in the future is impossible.

Say I tasked display.exe to find my unpublished book titled My Great Book. The software may construct an infinite number of possible versions, but how does it know it has the right version without me saying it has?

The whole concept, what I've heard of it so far, seems impossible.

[genuineoriginal]

But does it display the pages in order? Or does it just display pages randomly so it will display a page from 1 book and then display a page from another book next?

It is more complicated than that.

Of course, I haven't actually tried Bob's software.
My comments are based on being a software developer who figured out the principles behind Bob's software from his list of features, from Knight's comments, and from using a different software program Bob wrote years ago that appears related to this one.

If I have misrepresented Display.exe in any way, then I am sure Bob will let us know.

[genuineoriginal]

I say future because you said a future unpublished book, unless I misunderstood you. To me that implies a book still in the mind of an author.



That's an interesting point. However, I think a computer program being able to create word-for-word a book that I will write in the future is impossible.

Say I tasked display.exe to find my unpublished book titled My Great Book. The software may construct an infinite number of possible versions, but how does it know it has the right version without me saying it has?

The whole concept, what I've heard of it so far, seems impossible.

Of course, it would be easier if My Great Book were a children's book along the lines of Goodnight Moon.