[perl4ever]

After reading the wikipedia page on Landauer's principle, I'm left with some vague questions.

If irreversible computations have an effect on entropy in the environment, does transmitting a bit so it is not lost have an interesting effect too, even if it is done with a conventional computer and not a reversible one?

The amount of data transmitted over the internet has reached over a zettabyte per year - does thermodynamics tell us anything interesting about the consequences? Yes, it produces heat, but beyond that...

[Robotbeat]

To truly benefit from this theoretical advantage, reversible computing requires reversibility at all levels, including the electronics and the program itself. Simply retransmitting a bit requires fan-out which is itself forbidden in reversible circuits, so it doesn't buy you anything.