If I understand correctly modern computers are modeled after the Von Neumann architecture. I have sometimes seen reference to alternatives, but haven't really seen any very good descriptions of how non-Von Neumann architectures would be organised and function.
Does anyone have any examples? What are the advantages/disadvantages of alternative computer organization?
Examples of non von Neumann machines are the dataflow machines and the reduction machines. In both of these cases there is a high degree of parallelism, and instead of variables there are immutable bindings between names and constant values. non von Neumann is usually reserved for machines that represent a radical departure from the von Neumann model, and is therefore not normally applied to multiprocessor or multicomputer architectures, which effectively offer a set of cooperating von Neumann machines.
Cellular automata - this predated neural network, but the ideas are very similar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_automaton
Neural networks can be viewed as a form of cellular automata, or a distinct non-von Neuman architecture of their own.
Another example: The machines that are not problem independent (the case of most of the machines today).
An obviously Example is the Enigma-Machine. Used by German Army in the Second World War: It can solve just one problem: The encription of Communications!
In v. Neumann Architectures the Machines should be capable to solve any possible problem. The only limitation that time was actually the technologies used to build computers :P
