Programming:Programs vs. data

A program has been defined. Data can be defined as information that is to be processed by some program. When the entire scope of a computer system is taken into account, there are regions where the distinction between the two is not so evident. CPUs sometimes have a set of smaller instructions that control the computer's hardware, data can contain a program that is executed (see Scripting programming language), programs can be written to create another program; all of which making the comparison largely one of perspective. Some deny that the distinction between program and data is useful altogether.

Writing a program to generate a computer program is called metaprogramming. One application of this is have a program generate code according to a certain given data set. A single program might not easily be able to account for all the different aspects of the given data. Analysing the data to create a program that can handle all the aspects might prove easier. Lisp is an example of a language that provides strong support for this aspect of programming.

The weights stored in a neural network are a form of data. It is precisely these weights that, combined with the topology of the network, define the network's behavior. It is unclear what the values of these weights actually represent or whether these weights can be programmed. This and other questions pertaining to artificial intelligence further test the comparison between program and data.

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