Every file is a program, but not the reverse
English translation of the article entitled “Tout fichier est un programme… et non l’inverse” and published in $\textit{La Gazette des Mathématiciens}$ $\textbf{176}$ (April 2023)
Baptiste Mélès
CNRS, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France; University of Strasbourg, France
Abstract
The concept of a program, unlike that of a file, is an informal one, giving rise to inaccurate or even false assumptions. In this article, we will contest two of them. First, using historical examples, we will show that there are programs that are not files. Then, more surprisingly, we will argue that any file can be seen as a program, since all criteria characterizing programs hold true for files. In particular, we will conclude that there is no technical reason to distinguish between file/program and program/interpreter pairs.
Cite this article
Baptiste Mélès, Every file is a program, but not the reverse. Eur. Math. Soc. Mag. 133 (2024), pp. 5–11
DOI 10.4171/MAG/205