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Living Computation: Robust-first programming in ULAM

Dave Ackley · demo · Watch on YouTube

Computer architecture & CPUsProgramming language design

What it is

Dave Ackley presents robust-first computing and the ULAM programming language for the Movable Feast Machine, a cellular-automata-like architecture. It was a short video for the Future Programming Workshop 2015.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN points to it as an entry into Ackley's indefinitely scalable computing project, with a network-switch demo recommended as the best place to start.

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2015, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “I think the best place to start is this demo of a network switch made out of cells”

    Demo of a network switch built from cells

    sgentle, 2019-08 · Strong recommendation · in “Local Routing in a new Indefinitely Scalable Architecture [pdf]”

  2. “I'm a huge fan of Dave Ackley's”

    Robust-first philosophy applied to computing and LLM coding

    DonHopkins, 2025-07 · Recommendation · in “LLMs bring new nature of abstraction – up and sideways”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: movable feast machine, ulam, cellular automata, robustness, indefinite scalability

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