robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (09/06/84)
References: Here's a try at defining "software". First it's necessary to define something else, which I will call a "stored program": Stored Program: A set of information that, when interpreted by a machine in its intended fashion, will lead the machine through a sequence of its possible tasks, in an order which may be dependent upon data in the stored program and otherwise entered into the machine. Software: A stored program that can be easily modified or replaced under control of software, by electronic means only. The phrase "electronic means" is somewhat nebulous, but is meant to exclude mechanically replacing ROMS, or irradiating chips with ultraviolet light to deprogram them. I'm sure you have all noted the tendnecy to refer to digital recordings a "software", which is a terrible use of the term, since what is on these recordings is surely data rather than a stored program, and is firm rather than soft. Which leads to the next problem -- how is "data" different from a stroed program? Data: A set of information that, when interpreted by a machine in its intended fashion, will function as independent and dependent variables from which: - additional data can be calculated, and - decisions can be made concerning which portions of stored programs to execute next. - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) allegra!eosp1!robison decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison lead the machine through a sequence of its possible tasks, in an order which may be dependent upon data in the stored program and otherwise entered into the machine.
robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (09/17/84)
References: Henry Polard's definition: >> Software: a program with the data that is included in order for it >> to operate. I don't think that this definition accomplishes enough. First, one of the serious problems in defining software lies in distinguishing it from data. It is the failure to distinguish software and data that, in my view, leads to such vagueness as calling a record or a Compact Disk, "software". Second, I think a program is software even if it its data is not included. I have seen enormous programs that lack any data whatsoever; they look like software to me. Third, it's really important to define the word program. Walter mondale's program for dealing with the National Debt probably is not software. My memo on this subject may have tried to deal with "program" the hard way; an easier way is to work with the word "algorithm", which is well-defined. One might ask what kinds of instances of algorithms are classified as software. As a counter example, if an algorithm is carried out by a simple mechanical thing, I would not call the thing software. - Toby Robison (not Robinson!) allegra!eosp1!robison or: decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison or (emergency): princeton!eosp1!robison
brian@digi-g.UUCP (09/18/84)
<Software bug> Software is what's left after you remove all the hardware. :-)
debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray) (10/18/84)
> ... one of the serious problems in defining software lies in > distinguishing it from data. It is the failure to distinguish > software and data that, in my view, leads to such vagueness as > calling a record or a Compact Disk, "software". Hmmm ... but try distinguishing program from data in, say, lisp or Prolog! -- Saumya Debray, SUNY at Stony Brook uucp: {cbosgd, decvax, ihnp4, mcvax, cmcl2}!philabs \ {amd, akgua, decwrl, utzoo}!allegra > !sbcs!debray {tektronix, metheus}!ogcvax / CSNet: debray%suny-sbcs@CSNet-Relay