simo simo.sorce@xsec.it
Everything can be converted into a set of instructions, does this mean that everything is a program ?
No. "can be" suggests a possibility. "is" would indicate a certainty. Arguing against the certainty does not argue against the possibility. I do not claim that documentation is software, but that documentation can be software.
Everything can be put into words, does this mean everything is an essay?
(Actually, I'm not sure about any of those "everything" claims.)
[...] If you run the postscript program and print the result on paper, is that not the document anymore? Of course it is, and printed paper is not a program.
Listings magazines and machine-readable strips seemed popular types of printed paper programs in my youth. Printed paper is not necessarily a program, but printed paper can be a program. I hope this is clear.