'Computing' and information compression

[Gerry Wolff]

Dear Colleagues,

This is to let you know that a key paper about the ICMAUS
framework:

"`Computing' as information compression by multiple alignment,
unification and search"

is now published in the

     Journal of Universal Computer Science 5(11),
          418-462, 1999.

It may be obtained from

     http://www.iicm.edu/jucs_5_11

in Postscript, PDF or HTML formats. If you prefer,
I will be happy to send hard copy (contact details
below). An abstract of the paper is given below.

If you have any queries or comments about these ideas,
I will be delighted to hear from you.

Best wishes,

Gerry

Dr J G Wolff, School of Informatics, University of Wales,
Dean Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1UT, UK. 
Tel: +44 1248 382691.
Fax: +44 1248 361429. 
E-mail: gerry at sees.bangor.ac.uk
Web: http://www.sees.bangor.ac.uk/~gerry/

ABSTRACT OF PAPER

This paper argues that the operations of a `Universal Turing Machine'
(UTM) and equivalent mechanisms such as the `Post Canonical System'
(PCS) - which are widely accepted as definitions of the concept of
`computing' - may be interpreted as information compression by
multiple alignment, unification and search (ICMAUS).

The motivation for this interpretation is that it suggests ways in
which the UTM/PCS model may be augmented in a proposed new computing
system designed to exploit the ICMAUS principles as fully as possible.
The provision of a relatively sophisticated search 
mechanism in the proposed `SP' system appears to open the door to
the *integration* and *simplification* of a range of functions 
including unsupervised inductive learning, best-match pattern 
recognition and information retrieval, probabilistic reasoning, 
planning and problem solving, and others. Detailed consideration of 
how the ICMAUS principles may be applied to these functions is 
outside the scope of this article but relevant sources are cited in 
this article.

RELATED WORK

The ICMAUS framework as a vehicle for probabilistic reasoning is
described and discussed in "Probabilistic Reasoning as Information
Compression by Multiple Alignment, Unification and Search: An
Introduction and Overview" in the Journal of Universal Computer Science
5(7), 777-815, 1999. It may be obtained from
http://www.iicm.edu/jucs_5_7.

A description of the whole programme of research and copies of other
articles may be found at
http://www.sees.bangor.ac.uk/~gerry/sp_summary.html.