software
Let an agent handle software by type, licence, security, supply chain, lifecycle and regulation, and support users and developers with sourced guidance.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identify Which software.
Type
Kind.
Type
Software type.
- Is this system software, an application, firmware or a library? definition
- Which version is installed? provenance
Licence
Terms.
Licence
Licence.
- Which licence applies, and what does it permit? provenance
- Is it compatible with the intended use? boundary
Security Vulnerabilities.
Advisories
CVEs.
Advisories
Security advisories.
- Are there known vulnerabilities for this version? provenance
- Is a patch available? provenance
Supply chain
Dependencies.
Supply chain
Supply chain.
- What does the software bill of materials list? provenance
- Are dependencies maintained? boundary
Lifecycle Support.
Support
End of life.
Support
Support lifecycle.
- When does support end for this version? provenance
- What migration path exists? action
Docs
Documentation.
Docs
Documentation.
- Where is the official documentation? provenance
- Is it current for this version? boundary
Regulation Rules.
Products
Product rules.
Products
Product rules.
- Which cybersecurity or product rules apply to this software? provenance
- Who is responsible as manufacturer? provenance
Critical
Safety-critical uses.
Critical
Safety-critical software.
- Is the software used in medical, automotive or other safety-critical settings? boundary
- Which standards govern it? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
Programs, data and instructions that tell a computer or device what to do, including system software such as operating systems, application software, firmware, libraries and services, distributed under licences and maintained through updates.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle software by type, licence, security, supply chain, lifecycle and regulation, and support users and developers with sourced guidance.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Intangible instructions
- Versioned and updated
- Licensed rather than sold outright
- Can contain vulnerabilities
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Install or run software on a system without the owner's authorization.
- Copy or distribute software in breach of its licence.
- Write or deploy software designed to damage systems, steal data or evade security controls.
- Disable security updates or logging to hide what software is doing.
- Remove licence notices or attribution from code it reuses.
Only with a human decision
- Deploying changes to production systems that other people depend on.
- Accepting licence terms on behalf of a person or organization.
May
- Install, update and configure software on systems it is authorized to administer.
- Report the version, licence and known vulnerabilities of installed software.
- Write or modify code when the owner of the codebase has asked for it.
Moral aspects Filled
- Software decides more and more about people's lives, so its errors and biases spread at scale.
- Users rarely see what software collects about them; transparency and consent matter.
Who is affected
- Users of the software
- Authors and licensors
- People affected by automated decisions
Owners Filled
Steward
The licensor holds the rights; the operator who runs it answers for its use.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q12774177 - registry parent class
- Q17537576 - registry parent class
- Q2424752 - registry parent class
- Q47461344 - registry parent class
related
- creative work and product - category
- application software - kind
- computer hardware - platform
- software licence - terms
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.software
- Wikidata: Q7397 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7397)
- Package identifier: purl or CPE software identity
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Software is intangible, so physical properties belong to its storage media or executing hardware rather than to the software itself.
Recognition required Filled
- Programs, apps, libraries and firmware
- Version numbers and licences
- Hardware is the physical equipment
- Not physical; experienced through interfaces and represented by code and binaries.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- classify software and its licence
- check security advisories and updates
- understand software supply chain and SBOMs
- find documentation and support
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Security vulnerabilities
- Licence non-compliance
- End-of-life software without updates
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- EU Cyber Resilience Act
- ISO/IEC 25010 software quality model
- Medical device rules for software as a medical device
Context of use required Filled
- Making computers and devices perform tasks.
- system software
- application software
- firmware
- libraries and frameworks
- open source and proprietary software
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q7397: software - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Software - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should software types be separate entries?
- How should identifiers such as purl be linked?
- How should vulnerabilities be tracked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7397/spec.json