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Re: Social Contract GR's Affect on sarge



Thomas Hood wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-04-26 at 22:31, Thiemo Seufer wrote:
> > Program: Software which is intended for execution on an actually
> > 	existing interpreter.
> > 
> > Data: Software which is not ~.
> 
> You probably do have to bring in human intentions for the definition
> to have a chance of being adequate.

I have to, otherwise any bitstream would be a program because
it segfaults correctly.

> Your next task is to define
> the term 'execute'.  :)

I use for it as well the establishend meaning in CS.

> I don't think that this debate will terminate because I don't think
> that it is possible to come up with a definition that will decide
> every case.  There is a clear difference between programs and data in
> many familiar computing situations; in other situations there is no
> clear difference.

Name one such situation.

> The people that think about the former will say
> that programs and data are different while the people that think 
> about the latter will insist that they are not really different.

AFAICS it was already decided that the distinction doesn't matter.
Now have a compressed video stream from a webcam and demand to get
the "preferred form of modification" for it. :->


Thiemo



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