Realms Didier Verna Transversality Biology vs. Biological Realms in Computer Science CS Discovery vs. Invention Tinkering vs. Didier Verna Engineering Case Study: L A T EX didier@lrde.epita.fr http://www.lrde.epita.fr/˜didier Perspectives SPLASH 2011 – Thursday, October 27 1/8
Transversality: a cure for parceling Realms François Jacob (1977) on parceling: Didier Verna The beginning of modern science can be dated Transversality from the time when such general questions as “How Biology vs. was the universe created?” [. . . ] were replaced by CS such limited questions as “How does a stone fall?” Discovery vs. Invention Tinkering vs. Antoine Danchin (2009) on reunification: Engineering Case Study: As Science progresses, there is a steady decrease L A T EX in the number of postulates on which it has to rely for its Perspectives development. Uri Alon (2003) on reunification: A fundamental scientific challenge: understanding the laws of nature that unite evolved and engineered systems. 2/8
Biology ⇐ ⇒ Computer Science Realms Biology Computer Science Didier Verna Transversality DNA Translation Turing Machine Biology vs. CS Systems Biology Graph Theory Discovery vs. Invention Tinkering vs. Engineering Neurobiology Neural Networks Case Study: L A T EX Perspectives Genetics Genetic Algorithms 3/8
Discovery vs. Invention Realms Biology Computer Science Didier Verna Transversality Genetic "Program" Program vs. Computer Biology vs. CS Biological Networks Modularity, Robustness Discovery vs. Invention Tinkering vs. ? Engineering Case Study: L A T EX Perspectives Some people reverse-engineer Biology Why not reverse-tinker Computer Science as well ? 4/8
The tinkerer vs. the engineer Realms François Jacob (1977): Didier Verna [Natural selection] works like a tinkerer – a Transversality tinkerer who does not know exactly what he is Biology vs. CS going to produce. Discovery vs. Invention the engineer works according to a Tinkering vs. Engineering pre-conceived plan [. . . ] the objects produced by Case Study: the engineer, at least by the good engineer, L A T EX approach the level of perfection made possible by Perspectives the technology of the time. 5/8
A reverse-tinkering example: L A T EX Realms Didier Verna \documentclass{article} Transversality Biology vs. %% Preamble CS Discovery vs. Nuclear Envelope \begin{document} Invention Tinkering vs. %% Body Engineering Case Study: L A T EX Perspectives Plasma Membrane \end{document} Classes, Styles, Conflicts: the biological Realm of L A T EX. In TUGboat 31:2 2010, Proceedings of TUG 2010, the T EX Users Group conference . 7/8
Perspectives Realms Didier Verna What CS system would Transversality Biology vs. CS you like to reverse-tinker Discovery vs. Invention Tinkering vs. today ? Engineering Case Study: L A T EX Perspectives 8/8
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