Based on my work on Industrial Strength Computer Science, starting with the PP250, and the principles of the Lambda Calculus, these are my views on the future of digital society and the Information Age.
Author & Motivation
The Moment: On stage at SIGOPS '77, I first realised that the computer industry had abandoned the mathematically sound, secure architecture of science, exemplified by the Plessey System 250 (PP250), in favour of fast but fundamentally flawed "General-Purpose" binary computers. It was still the Cold War days of top-down, Cold War security led by a Mechanical Age view of warfare, and we were building a global civilisation for the everlasting Information Age on sand.
Why Every Citizen: Because cybersecurity isn't about computers anymore; it's about civilisation. If the digital foundation crumbles, a democratic society goes with it. You cannot have a free society on enslaved hardware.
Evolution of Thinking: My focus shifted from the "how" of hardware (Microcode/architecture) to the "now" of survival. With the rise of AI, the flaws in binary computing are no longer just bugs—they are existential threats that enable "unspeakable and unstoppable" malware.
Core Thesis & Big Ideas
The General-Purpose Threat: A General-Purpose Computer is designed to execute any instruction given to it, good or bad. It has no conscience and no inherent security. It is an "open door" by design, whereas a secure machine should be a "vault" that requires a key for every action.
WWII Legacy: We are still using architecture designed for ballistics and code-breaking—tasks requires raw speed, not safety. We took a calculator designed for war and tried to build a global society on it, ignoring that it lacks the internal controls (capabilities) necessary for civil interactions.
Digital Convergence: We are already past the brink. By connecting critical infrastructure to insecure General-Purpose machines, we weaponized our own conveniences. The damage is irreversible unless we swap the foundation.
Cyber Democracy & Citizen Power
Keys to Privacy: True privacy looks like holding a "Golden Token" (an immutable capability). If you have the key, you own the data, now, the "system" has the keys, meaning you own nothing.
Control Surrendered: Most people think they are users; in reality, they are products. They have surrendered absolute power to the "superuser" privileges inherent in binary operating systems.
Role of Government vs. Citizen: Citizens must demand Industrial Strength Computer Science as a consumer right—safety by design. Governments must stop funding insecure "legacy" tech and mandate liability for software that fails to protect the public.
Artificial Intelligence & Existential Risk
Super-Intelligent Malware: It is a certainty on current hardware. An AI doesn't need to be "conscious" to destroy us; it just needs to be efficient at exploiting the open memory of General-Purpose computers. We are totally unprepared because our defences are software patches, not hardware laws.
What Keeps You Up: The speed of the attack. Automated AI malware can exploit the global namespace faster than any human can react. It is the "perfect storm" meeting the "perfect victim" (binary computers).
The Singularity: It is inevitable, but its nature is our choice. On our current path, it is a catastrophe. If we switch to Church-Turing architectures (using the Lambda Calculus), we can constrain AI within mathematical bounds, making it a tool rather than a tyrant.
Solutions & Industrial Strength Computer Science
The Fundamental Difference: Today's systems rely on "permission" (software checks that can be bypassed). My solution depends on Capabilities (mathematical tokens). In a Church Machine, if you don't have the unforgeable ticket (the Golden Token), the system physically cannot act.
Global Change: It eliminates the losses over "cybersecurity." Trust becomes intrinsic to the instruction set (LOAD, SAVE, CALL, RETURN, CHANGE, SWITCH). You don't need antivirus software for a machine that cannot be infected.
Tangible Benefits: The end of identity theft, the end of ransomware, and the elimination of passwords. You carry your digital rights as unforgeable tokens.
Ethics, Law & the Future of Society
Law in the Electronic Age: Laws are now just words on paper. In the electronic age, code is the law. The hardware must enforce the user's legal rights. You cannot litigate against a millisecond-speed AI attack; you must block it architecturally.
Ethical Responsibility: Engineers must stop optimising for speed and proptimisingtart optimising for safety and optimising. Continuing to deploy General-Purpose binary code is professional negligence.
Are We Fast Enough: No. We are dangerously behind. We are fighting a digital World War III with tools from the 1940s.
Personal Perspective & Closing Reflections
Unsettling Reader Truth: That the device in their pocket is not their friend—it is a double agent working for whoever has the best exploit.
One Misconception: That software updates make you safe. You cannot patch a broken architecture. You cannot fix a foundation by painting the walls.
Message to Leaders: Stop subsidising failure. Adopt Industrial Strength Computer Science. Move from "binary/von Neumann" chaos to "Church/Lambda" order.
Source of Hope: Maths exists and PP250 proved it works. We don't need to invent magic; we need to return to the correct path of capability-based computing.
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