Added hints to README.md

master
KatolaZ 7 years ago
parent 093f6ea8be
commit da44d0f9c3
  1. 69
      README.md

@ -20,43 +20,60 @@ gs psrw.ps
Liked it? Now close the file and reopen it ;-)
_Hint 1_: If you enable the "Watch File" option in `gv`, you will get a
nice slideshow, for some definition of nice.
_Hint 2_: Running `gv` with `-nosafer -nodirsafe` might be a very bad
idea.
## WTF?
Postscript is a Turing-complete language. This means that you can do any
feasible computation in Postscript. Hence, simulating a random walk in
Postscript is not a big fuss at all, also because the standard
Postscript definition already includes a pseudo-random number generator,
so you don't need to implement it yourself. The only problem is that the
pseudo-random number generator needs to be initialised with a new seed,
otherwise you would always visualise the _same_ trajectory.
Postscript is a Turing-complete language. This means that you can
perform any feasible computation in Postscript. Hence, simulating a
random walk in Postscript is not a big fuss at all, also because the
standard Postscript definition already includes a pseudo-random number
generator, so you don't need to implement it yourself. The only problem
is that the pseudo-random number generator needs to be initialised with
a new seed, otherwise you would always visualise the _same_ trajectory.
The simple solution implemented in `psrw.ps` is to store the seed in the
same file as a comment, and _update_ it after every run. In a word,
`psrw.ps` rewrites itself at each run, changing the seed and allowing to
generate a _new_ random walk trajectory every time you open the file.
same file as a comment, and _update_ it at each run. In practice,
`psrw.ps` rewrites a slightly modified copy of itself every time you
"view" it, but a user would hardly notice it :-)
## Why?
Well, there is no particular reason to write anything like `psrw.ps`. I
just tried to do something similar around 2001 or 2002, when I was using
Postscript quite heavily, and at that time I did not find a proper way
through. The simplicity of the solution implemented in `psrw.ps`
scratches a long-standing personal itch, and tells a lot about my poor
knowledge of Postscript...
Well, you don't need a particular reason to write anything like
`psrw.ps`. I just tried to do something similar around 2001 or 2002,
when I was using Postscript quite heavily, and at that time I did not
find a proper way through. So the simplicity of the solution
implemented in `psrw.ps` scratches a long-standing personal itch, and
tells a lot about my very poor understanding of Postscript...
## No really, WHY?
## No seriously, WHY?
I just wanted to make a point about (not) trusting documents written in
formats that you don't understand, or that are not freely accessible or
not documented. Many _text_ formats out there are Turing-complete or
close-to, and some visualiser (e.g., for PDF or OpenXML) include
interpreters for other Turing-complete languages (like Javascript or
VBScript). This mean that they can do almost anything when you "_open_"
those "_text_" files.
If it's so easy to craft a document that modifies itself to change a
comment that you can't visualise, what else can be done by "_text_"
files saved in proprietary formats?
are poorly or not documented.
Many _text_ formats out there are Turing-complete or close-to, and some
viewers (e.g., for PDF or OpenXML files) include interpreters for other
Turing-complete languages (like Javascript or VBScript). This mean that
these viewers can do almost anything when you "_open_" those "_text_"
files. The only chance you have is to understand what is going on behind
the scenes, or to trust the company that provided the smart viewer. But
can you really trust _them_?
If it was so easy for a Postscript illiterate like me to craft a
document that modifies itself by changing _something_ that you cannot
even visualise, what else can be done by "_text_" files saved in
proprietary formats?
Well, at this point you should start thinking that you cannot really
_trust me_ either, even if I sweared that `psrw.ps` does absolutely
nothing nasty when you "open" it. But how can you be sure I am telling
the truth? ;-)
## Links

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