CSE 300: Models of Interactive Computation
Spring 2003

Computer Science & Engineering, U.Conn

Course Announcement & Description

Contents of CSE 300 Home Page

• Important Information
• List of assigned reading
• Other related reading
• Interesting Links

Important Information

Meetings: Wednesday 3:30-5:30 PM, UTEB 370
Instructor: Prof. Dina Q Goldin <dqg@cse.uconn.edu>
Office: UTEB 368
Office Hours: TuTh 3-4 PM
Course Web Page: http://www.cse.uconn.edu/~dqg/cse300
Course Description: click here.

List of Assigned Readings

Week 1:
1. Wegner, P., Why interaction is more powerful than algorithms, CACM Vol. 40, No. 5.

Week 2:
1. Simon, H. A., The Sciences of the Artificial, 3rd edition, The MIT Press, Oct. 1996.
2. Moore, E. M., Gedanken-Experiments on Sequential Machines, in McCarthy, J. and Shannon, C. E. eds, Automata Studies, Princeton University Press, Dec. 1956.

Week 3:
1. Goldin, D., Persistent Turing Machines as a Model of Interactive Computation,
in: K-D. Schewe and B. Thalheim (Eds.), Foundations of information and knowledge systems, First Int'l Symposium (FoIKS'2000). Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1762, Springer-Verlag, Berlin 2000, pp. 116-135.
2. Goldin, D., Smolka, S. A., Wegner, P., Turing Machines, Transition Systems, and Interaction, 8th Int'l Workshop on Expressiveness in Concurrency, Aarlborg, Denmark, August 2001.

Week 4:
Neumann, J. V., Natural and Artificial Automata, in Aspray, W., Burks, A. W. eds, Papers of John Von Neuman on Computers and Computer Theory, Vol. 12, MIT Press, October 1986.
Neumann, J. V., The General and Logical Theory of Automata, in Aspray, W., Burks, A. W. eds, Papers of John Von Neuman on Computers and Computer Theory, Vol. 12, MIT Press, October 1986.

Week 5:
1. Milner, R., Elements of interaction: Turing award lecture, CACM Vol. 36, No. 1.
2. An interview with Robin Milner, CACM Vol. 36 No. 1.

Week 6:
1. Gurevich, Y., Sequential Abstract State Machines Capture Sequential Algorithms, ACM Transactions on Computational Logic, Vol. 1, No. 1.
2. Börger, E., and Glässer U., Modelling and Analysis of Distributed and Reactive Systems using Evolving Algebras.

Other Related Reading

• (from M. Korman) I was browsing through Eric S. Raymond's online book, The Art of Unix Programming.  He describes various classes of software in the Unix environment, and makes sharp distinctions between interactive software and non-interactive software. I found it relevant to our discussions. You can find the book at http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/, and the specific section at http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/ch11s05.html .
• (from B. Qureshi) This article is interesting to read; it tries to show how algorithms lack the necessary properties to be social: http://www.cs.lth.se/home/Bertil_Ekdahl/publications/CCbeS.pdf

Interesting Links

Other links will be added here throughout the semester.

• Stick creatures with emergent behavior (Sodaplay).
• Slides to explain Moore's paper (in PS).

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This page last updated on 2/26/03.