Ben Finney writes: > Ben Finney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > >> There seems to be no distinction between "software program" and >> "program" in the above. What other kind of programs are there? > > Of course, I immediately realise that "program" has plenty of meaning > outside of (and predating) the computer field. Consider this question > as specifically within the context of computers, which was already the > context of this discussion.
>From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]: program n 1: a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need; "he proposed an elaborate program of public works"; "working mothers rely on the day care program" [syn: {programme}] 2: a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished; "they drew up a six-step plan"; "they discussed plans for a new bond issue" [syn: {plan}, {programme}] These meanings appear before the "computer program" sense in WordNet; as I remember, that usually means the dictionary editors feel it is a more common usage. What precludes those meanings from being used in the context of computers? Why quibble over a qualifier that could easily be useful? When a software (or computer) program is used to provide communication services to the public -- after all, many would argue that communication is a public need -- the first meaning could apply. When a software program is used as part of a wider effort to build a community, the second meaning could apply to deploying the service. More to the point of this discussion, Debian will probably never convince the rest of the world to use "software" to describe a set of things that many more people call "intellectual property". Most computer-literate English speakers in the world use "software" to mean "computer program" rather than "information" -- especially when that information is not stored digitally on a computer-readable medium, as in Francesco's example of a paper printout. Michael Poole -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]