Table Of ContentSoftware Theory
Media Philosophy
Series Editors: Eleni Ikoniadou, Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at the
LondonGraduateSchoolandtheSchoolofPerformanceandScreenStudies,King-
ston University and Scott Wilson, Professor of Cultural Theory at the London
Graduate School and the School of Performance and Screen Studies, Kingston
University
The Media Philosophy series seeks to transform thinking about media by inciting a turn
towardsaccountingfortheirautonomyand‘eventness’,formachineagency,andforthenew
modalitiesofthoughtandexperiencethattheyenable.Theseriesshowcasesthe‘transconti-
nental’workofestablishedandemergingthinkerswhoseworkengageswithquestionsabout
thereshufflingofsubjectivity,oftemporality,ofperceptionsandofrelationsvis-à-viscompu-
tation, automation, and digitalisation as the current 21st century conditions of life and
thought.Thebooksinthisseriesunderstandmediaasavehiclefortransformation,asaffec-
tive,unpredictable,andnon-linear,andmovepastitsconsistentmisconceptionaspuremat-
ter-of-factactuality.
ForMediaPhilosophy,itisnotsimplyaquestionofbringingphilosophytobearonanarea
usually considered an object of sociological or historical concern, but of looking at how
developmentsinmediaandtechnologyposeprofoundquestionsforphilosophyandconcep-
tionsofknowledge,being,intelligence,information,thebody,aesthetics,war,death.Atthe
sametime,mediaandphilosophyarenotviewedasreducibletoeachother'sinternalconcerns
andconstraintsandthusitisnevermerelyamatterofformulatingaphilosophyofthemedia;
rathertheseriescreatesaspaceforthereciprocalcontagionofideasbetweenthedisciplines
andthegenerationofnewmutationsfromtheirtransversals.Withtheiraffectscuttingacross
creativeprocesses,ethico-aestheticexperimentationsandbiotechnologicalassemblages,the
unfoldingmediaeventsofourageprovidedifferentpointsofinterventionforthought,neces-
sarilyembeddedaseverinthemediumofitstechnicalsupport,tocontinuallyre-inventitself
andtheworld.
“Thenewautomatismisworthlessinitselfifitisnotputtotheservice
ofapowerful,obscure,condensedwilltoart,aspiringtodeployitself
throughinvoluntarymovementswhichnonethelessdonotrestrictit”.
EleniIkoniadouandScottWilson
TitlesintheSeries
SoftwareTheory,byFedericaFrabetti
MediaAfterKittler,byEleniIkoniadouandScottWilson
CypherpunkPhilosophy,byPaulJ.Ennis
Software Theory
A Cultural and Philosophical Study
Federica Frabetti
London•NewYork
PublishedbyRowman&LittlefieldInternational,Ltd.
UnitA,WhitacreMews,26-34StannaryStreet,LondonSE114AB
www.rowmaninternational.com
Rowman&LittlefieldInternational,Ltd.isanaffiliateofRowman&Littlefield
4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706,USA
WithadditionalofficesinBoulder,NewYork,Toronto(Canada),andLondon
(UK)
www.rowman.com
Copyright©2015byFedericaFrabetti
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany
electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsys-
tems,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomay
quotepassagesinareview.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN:HB978-1-78348-196-5
ISBN:PB978-1-78348-197-2
ISBN:EB978-1-78348-198-9
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Frabetti,Federica,1966–author.
Softwaretheory:aculturalandphilosophicalstudy/FedericaFrabetti.
pagescm.—(Mediaphilosophy)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-78348-196-5(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-1-78348-197-2(pbk.:alk.
paper)—ISBN978-1-78348-198-9(electronic)
1.Softwareengineering—Socialaspects.2.Softwarearchitecture—Socialaspects.I.Title.
QA76.758.F7252014
005.1—dc23
2014033084
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperfor
PrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction ix
1 FromTechnicalToolstoOriginaryTechnicity:The
ConceptofTechnologyinWesternPhilosophy 1
2 Language,Writing,andCode:Towardsa
DeconstructiveReadingofSoftware 33
3 SoftwareasMaterialInscription:TheBeginningsof
SoftwareEngineering 67
4 FromtheCathedraltotheBazaar:Softwareasthe
Unexpected 99
5 WritingthePrintedCircuit:ForaGenealogyofCode 129
Conclusions:TheUnforeseenConsequencesofTechnology 167
Bibliography 177
Index 185
v
Acknowledgements
This book has been inspired by almost fifteen years of ‘writing’
softwareasasoftwareengineerfortelecommunications.Thepeople
I wrote software with are too many to be named; nevertheless, I
wouldliketothankthemherebecauseIlearntsomuchfromthem
whilealsohavingsomuchfun.
Theoriginsofthisprojectliewithmytimeasadoctoralstudent
at Goldsmiths, University of London, which provided an exciting
and stimulating environment for the much more critical question-
ingoftechnology.FirstandforemostIamgratefultoJoannaZylins-
ka for being an exceptional guide and a demanding interlocutor
whileIwasatGoldsmiths,andforremainingamentorandafriend
long afterwards. Her work remains for me a model of intellectual
andpoliticalengagement.Iwouldalsoliketoexpressmygratitude
toallthosewhohavereadvariouspartsofthisbookandimmensely
enriched it with their comments and critiques: David Boothroyd,
ScottDexter,GaryHall,JanetHarbord,SarahKember,DavidMor-
ley, and the late and much missed Mark Poster. I am especially
gratefultoGaryHallforproposingSoftwareTheoryasthetitleofthis
book and for sharing with me some of his tremendous insights on
technology(notleasttheoneabout‘quasi-functioning’software).
ManyyearsagoIhadtheprivilegetodiscusstheearlystagesof
myprojectwithN.KatherineHaylesataMasterclassorganizedby
Rosi Braidotti at the University of Utrecht. Although over time my
thought on technology has taken a different direction from
Hayles’s, I maintain the greatest admiration for her work and feel
fortunate to have remained in dialogue with her throughout the
years. I am grateful to my colleagues and students at Oxford
Brookes University for providing a lively environment for the dis-
cussionofmythoughtsonphilosophyandtechnologyandforsup-
portingtherealizationofthisbookthroughvariousresearchgrants.
Iamalsoindebtedtoanumberofotheruniversitieswhichhavelent
hospitalitytomyideas,includingColumbiaUniversity,NewYork;
Brooklyn College, CUNY; Coventry University, and the University
ofNaples‘L’Orientale’(Italy).Iamverygratefultotheeditorsand
vii
viii Acknowledgements
reviewers at Rowman & Littlefield International for all their help
andsupportwiththisproject.
Parts of this book have been published as articles. An earlier
versionofChapter1,entitled‘RethinkingtheDigitalHumanitiesin
the Context of Originary Technicity’, acted as an opening to the
specialissueofCultureMachine,TheDigitalHumanitiesbeyondCom-
puting, vol. 12 (2011), which I edited. An early version of two sec-
tionsofChapter3and4appearedaspartofanotherarticle,entitled
‘Does It Work? The Unforeseeable Consequences of Quasi-Failing
Technology’,CultureMachine(CreativeMedia11[2009],http://www.
culturemachine.net).
I would like to express my gratitude to family and friends for
their support through the years. Thanks to Roberto Camano for
providing early help with grammars and compilers. Very special
personalthanksgotoLianaBorghiandTizianaIannucci,forchang-
ing my life in so many ways and for encouraging me during the
earlystageofmyacademiccareer.
Finally,allthiswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheuncon-
ditionalloveandsupportofCarlaMarzocchi,mymother.Thisbook
isdedicatedtoher.
