As you can see in
the picture, software is the core concept in my
thinking. In the next paragraphs I'll explain how that links up a
number of other important concepts. This is part of a series
called Software in Reality. As you can see in
the picture, software is the core concept in my
thinking. In the next paragraphs I'll explain how that links up a
number of other important concepts. This is part of a series
called Software in Reality.
Software is a message between people, to communicate. What is on a musical record or broadcast on television is oftentimes called software. It is intangible, yet it has a measurable effect on the people receiving the message. There is a similarity that goes beyond the metaphor with the software that is processed by computers. Computer software is intangible, yet it produces a measurable change of state in the machine. All software is expressed in some language. This could be a verbal language, but also a pictorial language. Understanding language in general, and the particular language used is key to understanding software.
Software is the carrier of meaning. Through the symbols that make up a language, a new meaning is communicated. Seen from another angle, software modifies meaning. In human communication you may think something at some time, and attach a certain meaning to your situation. After processing a message, the meaning you attach to your situation may very well be different. So, the message is the meaning, and if the medium is the message (McLuhan), then the medium has in itself meaning. See also my paper: How Human is Meaning?
Software is what computers execute. Computers are a realization of software. If you experience a computer, you would probably be most engaged mentally in the software that it is executing. There is of course something physical about a computer, something that you can also experience when it is unplugged, but it is an irrelevant experience compared to the running of software.
Software executing on a computer is a realization without any underlying physical realization or embedding. It transcends reality.
My theme is also summed up by the following definition.
People communicate with each other in order to get to workable (realizable) meaning. I'd like to consider that in relation to computers, whether as a subject or object or tool.
This links in with the story of Babel.
Last modified: 30 nov 1996
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