Why interaction is more powerful than algorithms

Abstract

The article goes into the reason behind interaction being more powerful than algorithms. Interaction is a more powerful paradigm than rule-based algorithms for computer problem-solving, overturning the prevailing view that all computing is expressible as algorithms. The paradigm shift from algorithms to interaction captures the technology shift from mainframes to workstations and networks, from number-crunching to embedded systems and graphical user interfaces, and from procedure-oriented to object-based and distributed programming. The radical notion that interactive systems are more powerful problem-solving engines than algorithms is the basis for a new paradigm for computing technology built around the unifying concept of interaction. Whereas interaction histories express the external unfolding of events in time, instruction-execution histories express an ordering of inner events of an algorithm without any relation to the actual passage of time. Algorithmic time is intentionally measured by number of instructions executed, rather than by the actual time taken by execution.