The power of software

Software is the core constituent of many modern products and services. Many industrial sectors can be considered an "application" of computer science and software engineering, as they increasingly rely on software to provide their features and functionality. For instance, mobile phones have completed their transformation from specialized telecom devices to mobile computers: making phone calls (possibly using VoIP) is just one of the many (software) features offered to the customer. In general, many market sectors are dramatically changing their nature, structure, and operations as a result of their transformation into software-centered businesses.The main consequence of this dramatic change is that software has become a strategic asset for companies, institutions, individuals, and governments. Free software and software patents are perhaps the hottest topics that are being nowadays discussed by researchers and practitioners. In general, it is essential to understand how software impacts on business models, the management of Intellectual Property, industrial development, and the society in general (GNU.org claims that "free software is a matter of liberty"). As such, the subject is extremely complex as it has different dimensions and facets. It is not just a matter of technology: rather, it is a combination of technological, legal, social, economical, and even ethical and emotional issues. This means that it is difficult to identify a common ground of discussion and to properly assess claims and opinions.The talk will provide an overview of the trends in the software industry and in representative industrial sectors that are increasingly relying on software. It will then briefly discuss how software is affecting our society in general, and the role of software patents in innovation. This analysis will be instrumental to present some reflections and proposals to master the complexity of the problems we are challenged to face with.