[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> Yes, sure! If some stream of bits is considered software when stored in >> RAM then I can't see why it should not be software anymore when stored >> in some other media. I have not seen any convincing argument about why >> software should lose its nature if stored in ROM. >> If the conseguences of this are that some interpretations of the policy >> or social contract are inconsistent then maybe you should start >> considering that they may really be, after all. >How about when they're stored on paper? It's still software, stored on paper. Why not?
>How about when they're burned into a different sort of persistent >chip, like an FPGA? If you believe that an FPGA design stored in a file on your hard disk is software then I believe that it's still software when copied to a FPGA. Again, why not? >How about CAD/CAM instructions, once embodied in a manufactured >device? Is my coffee mug still software? Obviously not: the mug does not contain software (but maybe you could start a contest for the shortest CAD/CAM file which can generate a mug with a copy of itself printed on it). >>>Looks like hardware, acts like hardware. >> To me, it looks like software stored in hardware. >>>Of course, it's a boundary case--it's neither strictly hardware nor software. >> Really? I think it's quite clear. >That's because you're not thinking about all the ramifications. I think you need to work a bit more on your mind-reading skills. -- ciao, Marco