Software Studies

I have to agree that not a whole lot was brought to the table from this new reading. I did like it, and it's not to say that it isn't interesting or valid, but it seems these same ideas have come up throughout the semester (as well as the other digital art classes I have taken). I do believe that this is beneficial. It is important to harp on certain ideas so as that they are really hammered home.

One specific stood out to me as to why software studies are important and why software is above all, the most important. Manovich states that software enables a global information society. That is a pretty profound thing if you ask me. It seems pretty clear that yes, the internet connects people, yes it provides information from all over the world, and yes it is at your fingertips, but to say all of that about the internet is leaving one key part out. Software. None of that would work without software. Software permeates all of society that it just runs in the background.
software
software
software

As Lee stated in class, software itself opens up a whole universe of possibilities to media creation now. As digital media artists, we live in a world in which our day to day lives and interactions with media and technologies act as our inspiration and fodder for art works. What that means is we have a lot of choices. Things like Quartz and Processing again, give us more choices on how to use that fodder. Now we have been given the tools to make our own software. Think of an effect or process not built into VDMX? Make it.

And after that?

Throw it on the web. Share it. Let people use it. Let them get ideas from it and improve it. Equally, search around the internet for published patches and code. See the things others are trying, and then build off of it.

It is at this point though an interesting phenomenon comes up. The absence of historical software studies. Manovich is quick to suggest an example why. As soon as software comes out, old software is obsolete, and therefore has no reason to stick around, be studied, or further developed. A good analogy I believe is one of the movie industry. Movie studios can still make money off of existing and OLD movies by simply distributing them on newer and newer formats. I mean, I am not eagerly trying to get a hold of the original Mac OS or...well...any Windows OS for that matter, new or old....

anyway...



alright. Lets make some art.