I didn’t think this is techtakesworthy, nor is it a sneer, more a airing of perspective, as wanky as that sounds
The gist: Software, or generally computation, can be categorised as a type of building material rather than a type of product in itself.
This framing opens up the view that design within the software industry begins with an assumption that software was the best means for the supposed purpose.
Foundationally, design is the deliberation over the best means to satisfy a given purpose. In reality most design projects begin with limitations to the means available.
Regardless, the knowledge that software is one of many possible means should not be ignored.
To accept “software is eating the world” as a positive movement is to skip the most important choice of any design process. The means that best satisfies the given purpose at that point in time.
The same ignorance of that choice led to plastic eating the world as well.
The means for satisfying a purpose are not limited to building materials. It can be any effort that influences a situation rather than building a thing, physical or virtual.
The goal is to have as open a design process as possible to allow for the most appropriate means to be discovered.
Also audio available here: https://pnc.st/s/faster-and-worse/63b3904b/software-as-material
I get where you’re coming from but we’re talking about two completely separate layers of abstraction.
If you define data as a material, which you can, then software is going to be a very good means for working with data. It’ll be the best!
But for that to happen you have to have decided that data is the key to whatever purpose you are aiming to satisfy. You’re saying that all purposes are a matter of data manipulation.
I don’t actually say that software cannot be a product, I say that it can’t be categorised as a product in itself. As in, it doesn’t make sense to have “furniture products, exercise products, data products, surveillance products, and SOFTWARE products” - that doesn’t mean something made out of software can’t be a product.
BTW I’m not claiming this is novel, in fact I know it’s not. I’m also not taking it personal, feedback is why I post this shit.