[Tutor] Quantum computing

[Alan Gauld]

On 14/12/13 04:36, David Hutto wrote:

> My main question/topic, is what is to become of languages like python
> with the emergence of quantum computing?

Nothing, I suspect, since by the time quantum computing hits the 
mainstream we will all have progressed to other languages anyhow.

These kinds of breakthrough take decades to reach maturity. QC has
been around conceptually for 30 years and there is still no
commercial QC hardware available (so far as I know). When/if
it does appear it will be in the mainframe/supercomputing arena
first and then it may percolate down to mid size and personal
computers.

But I'm sceptical. QC may have a role in the medium term but it
will be in niche areas I suspect.

I remember being shown a computer in a petri dish while at Uni' and 
being told that biological computing was the future. It has never 
happened. Similarly the transputer (real commerial hardware) was 
heralded as the dawn of massive parallel computing in the late '80s.
Instead we got multi-core CPUs and blades and Google...


-- 
Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
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