The Philosophy of Software by Berry, David M. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

The Philosophy of Software

Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements

1 The Idea of Code

Understanding computation Towards digital humanities

2 What Is Code?

Code

The ontology of Code Through habituation/training/education Through structural constraints (e.g. IDE, compiler) Through a constellation of shared knowledge and practices Microprocessors have a limited vocabulary defined by their instruction set (as microcode and/or as assembly language) Compilable and executable code is structured and formatted by precise rules Metaphorical code Code as an engine Code as an image or picture Code as a medium of communication Code as a container

Towards a grammar of code

Data Code Delegated code (or source code) Prescriptive code (or software) Critical code Commentary Code Digital data structure Digital stream Code objects Functions/methods

Web 2.0 and network code Understanding code

3 Reading and Writing Code

Tests of strength Reading code

The leaked microsoft source code Climate research code

Writing code

The Underhanded C Contest First place: John Meacham Second place: Avinash Baliga Third place: Linus Akesson The International Obfuscated C Code Contest

Obfuscated code examples

Entry for 2004 by kopczynski4 Source code Build Instructions Programmer comments Judge comments Entry for 1984 by laman (prints spiralling numbers, laid out in columns)5 Source code Programmer comments Entry for 2004 by arachnid6 Source code Build instructions Programmer instructions Judge comments Entry for 2003 by cheong7 Source code Build instructions Programmer comments Judge comments Entry for 2001 by rosten8 Build instructions Programmer comments Source code Judge comments Entry for 1998 by banks Source code Build instructions Programmer comments Judge Comments

4 Running Code

The temporality of code The spatiality of code Reverse remediation Running code and the political

5 Towards a Phenomenology of Computation

Phenomenology and computation The computational image Vicarious transformations

6 Real-Time Streams

Being a good stream

Materialising the stream

Financial streams Lifestreams Subterranean streams

Notes

1 The Idea of Code 2 What Is Code? 3 Reading and Writing Code 4 Running Code 5 Towards a Phenomenology of Computation 6 Real-Time Streams

Bibliography Index