Re: Inconsistencies in our approach
On Tue, 12 Aug 2003, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
JG>> Documentation consists of instructions primarily intended to be
JG>> human-readable regarding the operation of something such as a
JG>> program.
JG>> Programs consist of instructions primarily intended to be
JG>> machine-readable that either contain machine language binary data
JG>> or instructions designed to be interpreted or converted into that
JG>> at runtime. Programs will always contain source code or machine
JG>> language code, and often both.
MS>> Hmmm.
MS>> My suggestion:
MS>> Software "is a set of statements" primarily intended to
MS>> perform some operations on the some set of input information "in
MS>> order to bring about a certain result" with this information.
MS>> Regardless of the way it does so.
MS>> Data "is a set of statements" primarily intended to describe
MS>> itself (as such) to a reader, be latter the human or the program.
MS>> Regardless of the way it does so.
MS>> Data primarily intended to describe itself to human reader
MS>> is a documentation.
MS> What do you do if the same collection of bits performs each of
MS> these functions?
Same bits? Example, please. I do not believe in existence of
such thing. It would contradict a human psychology.
Maybe, you mean that documentation and software can be
bundled in the same package, even in the same file? Yes, it can.
There is not a news and not a problem. Different categories of
"works of autorship" often bundled, and moreover - included each
other. Book can contain a photos and drawings - but there still a
difference between graphic and literary works. Movie can include a
song - but this is not mean that musical and audiovisual works is
the same thing. Each category has its own legal regime.
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