Dev1 Galaxy Forum / What is software ?

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (blackhole) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:21:22 +0000

Thanks for posting that.

It's a real pity that, apart from a few "conspiracy theorists" like me, that almost no one really cares...

His second note states very bluntly that Intel used his OS as a base to develop an Orwellian "spy engine", to place within every x86 PC.

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (chomwitt) — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:04:29 +0000

Historically, firmware was very simple code, often written in assember, to run with limited resources for a very specific taske - nowadays the Intel Management Engine OS for example, which was found to be based on MINIX 3.0 and a typical UEFI are very large and complex.

https://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/intel/

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (blackhole) — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:55:39 +0000

Hardware is tangible, software is intangible.

Hardware is physical elecronics: PCBs, ICs, etc.

Software is, when all is said and done, machine code, 1s and 0s.

To get a basic understanding of firmware, read up on EPROMs and EEPROMs. Nowadays "firmware" can be any number of things e.g. the OS of a printer, TV or network adapter flashed on to some kind of EPROM, but really it's still software. The "firmware image" which is flashed to the chip is a binary and thus software.

Historically, firmware was very simple code, often written in assember, to run with limited resources for a very specific taske - nowadays the Intel Management Engine OS for example, which was found to be based on MINIX 3.0 and a typical UEFI are very large and complex.

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (chomwitt) — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:08:35 +0000

I think a better understanding should accommodate also :
Firmware,FPGA

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (chomwitt) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:04:00 +0000

What do you get when you force a hardcoded binary onto a floppy disk?
Software that turns into vaporware, and hardware that turns into a brick.

cool @alphalpha ..

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (alphalpha) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:19:00 +0000

What do you get when you force a hardcoded binary onto a floppy disk?
Software that turns into vaporware, and hardware that turns into a brick.

Re: What is software ?

dummy@example.com (fsmithred) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:14:57 +0000

I think it's simpler than that. Hardware is hard - you could drop it on your foot. The bits and bytes are not hard, so they are called soft.

What is software ?

dummy@example.com (chomwitt) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:05:43 +0000

Software as the 'program' you send to a dead silicon engraved with metal patterns ? Or software as a part of matter that exhibits a 'smart' behavior , a smart matter (like possesing a 'mind') ?

Interstingly if we see software as program then by it self is not smart. It's just data. The reaction of a machine to a program (running it) seems closer to an intelligent entity.

Why a part of matter that is 'soft' not rigid would be more close to the 'intelligence' axis ? Soft means more amenable to our efforts to 'shape' it , to 'contol it' make it align with our goals ? See how we value in social life flexibility as soft . In greece we say a stuborn man a 'ξερο(dry)+κέφαλος(head)' comparing her/his behavior to a hard wood that lost it's humidity . So being mentaly more ready to aling with other people wishes makes you more -soft- thus maybe more intelligent ?