Freedom From Choice

This blog article, part of a graduate seminar on feedback and adaptation, discusses the theory of architecture in computer science. It highlights how computer architecture, software architecture, and network architecture share design principles such as abstraction boundaries, layered hierarchies, and cross-layer protocols. Using the internet as a key example, it explains the 'narrow waist' of IP and how protocols like TCP and UDP enable diversity and robustness. The article also touches on software and hardware architectures, emphasizing layered design to manage complexity and support general-purpose computing. It connects these concepts to broader themes of organizing machines and people.