What is software ?

chomwitt · 2026-09-17 08:05:43

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 ?

Last edited by chomwitt (Today 08:04:55)

fsmithred · 2026-09-17 10:14:57

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.

alphalpha · 2026-09-17 11:19:00

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.

chomwitt · 2026-09-17 22:04:00

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 ..

Last edited by chomwitt (Today 08:00:06)

chomwitt · Yesterday 07:08:35

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

Last edited by chomwitt (Today 08:05:29)

blackhole · Yesterday 07:55:39

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.

chomwitt · Today 08:04:29

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/

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#1 2026-09-17 08:05:43

What is software ?

#2 2026-09-17 10:14:57

Re: What is software ?

#3 2026-09-17 11:19:00

Re: What is software ?

#4 2026-09-17 22:04:00

Re: What is software ?

#5 Yesterday 07:08:35

Re: What is software ?

#6 Yesterday 07:55:39

Re: What is software ?

#7 Today 08:04:29

Re: What is software ?

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