Re: [ELPA] New package: repology.el

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Dmitry Gutov <dgutov@yandex.ru> [2021-01-25 21:30]:
> On 25.01.2021 19:59, Jean Louis wrote:
> > If schema is data it is part of software together with instructions.
> > 
> > If schema represents rules how to produce digital document it is part
> > of software.
> 
> We don't consider the bitmap files in the Emacs distribution to be software.
> 
> And yet, they contain the "rules" to produce each individual picture on the
> screen.

So what is "software" for you? Maybe you use different definition.

If we speak of software it is anything that one cannot physically by
using hands touch, assemble, disassemble, and repair. It is related
and opposite to hardware. It is data in any form that is stored
digitally on hardware.

Bitmap files and program are software. They are not hardware. In
general, if one wants to know if something is software there is simple
test: Is it hardware? If it is not hardware, but is stored on hardware
memory devices then it is software. It can be a picture of course. It
could be picture alone without any program to use that picture.

Software is what is not hardware.

If some schema is used to verify document in any manner that is
definitely data and it is there for a program to process that
data. Program’s function depends on that data, thus data becomes part
of program. Such data can be optional. Program’s function can be
optional. That does not make the data less part of specific
software. It can be part of various other software packages.

Software as general term is that data inside memory that is not
hardware. Be it executable program or not.

Software package is what is bundled together to make the whole program
function.

Program alone is software, but in example of Emacs there are many
programs bundled together and they do not constitute plural of
software such as Emacs softwareS, rather all Emacs package together is
called software. All digital information coming in the Emacs package
is "software". That is how all software packages in the world are
marketed, sold, purchased, referred to.  "Software" and "program" are
different words with different definitions.

Data may be separate from programs, but any digital data on computer
is always processed by some programs. Any digital data is software
because it is not hardware but is stored on hardware devices.

So any picture, any type of file, or text is software. Any type of
file is processed by program such as operating system to at least
display that such file exists on hardware. One need not run the
file. The file need not have specific procedure or set of
instructions, thus it need not be program to be software. It is
processed by software sooner or later.

Software is what can be processed by CPU and is stored digitally.

In my opinion, a computer program or other digital data written or
printed on paper does not represent software. It is printout of
software. But such printout does represent a computer program. One
could call it "software" but I think that is mistaken as such cannot
be directly run by CPU and it is not digitally stored. So such are not
software for me.

Jean