% SHOW: tgsoimages.svg askpeople C


% METHOD: Ask several people from different fields and age groups the same question: "_**What is software?**_"

% WHAT: By paying close attention to the answers, and possibly logging them, observations about the ambiguous place and nature of software can be made.
% REMEMBER: The answer to this question will vary depending on who is asking it to whom.

% PDFFIX: 1 \newpage

% HOW:
% WHEN:
% WHO:
% URGENCY:
% NOTE:
% WARNING:
% EXAMPLE: - 

"_It is difficult to answer the question 'what is software', but I know what is good software_"
[^]{Jean Huens (system administrator at the department of Computer Science, KULeuven)}

"_Software is a list of sequential instructions! Hardware for me is made of silicon,
software a sequence of bits in a file. But naturally I am biased: I'm a hardware designer
so I like to consider it as unique and special_".
[^]{Thomas Cnudde (hardware designer at ESAT - COSIC, Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography, KULeuven)}

"_This, you have to ask the specialists._"
[^]{Amal Mahious (Director of NAM-IP, Namur)}


% ------

*what is software?
--the unix filesystem says: it's a file
----what is a file?
----in the filesystem, if you ask xxd:
------ it's a set of hexadecimal bytes
-------what are hexadecimal bytes? 
------ -b it's a set of binary 01s
----if you ask objdump
-------it's a set of instructions
--side channel researching also says:
----it's a set of instructions
--the computer glossary says:
----it's a computer's program, plus the procedure for their use http://etherbox.local/home/pi/video/A_Computer_Glossary.webm#t=02:26 
------ a computer's programs is a set of instructions for performing computer operations

% SRCCODE: quaverbatim


% SOURCE: Notes on [fileflowchart.raw.html](http://observatory.constantvzw.org/etherdump/fileflowchart.raw.html)

%!REMEMBER: To answer the question "_what is software_" depends on the situation, goal, time, and other contextual influences.

% SOURCE: Notes on [Multiple Software Axes](http://observatory.constantvzw.org/etherdump/multiple-software-axes.md.raw.html)

% RELATESTO: http://pad.constantvzw.org/p/observatory.guide.everyonescp