It appears that semioticians have analyzed the semiotics of
computers much deeper than Pr Collins did. They seem to acknowledge that the
internals of computers are signs. Here is an extract of this
paper.
However, computer systems are not ordinary machines,
assembled by means of bolts and screws. They are symbolic machines constructed
and controlled by means of signs. The interface of systems is of course one
obvious example of a computer based sign. A sign stands for something to
somebody in some respect, and since the interface of a flight reservation system
stands for flights and seats to the clerk, this interface is clearly a sign.
Using
the system involves interpretation and manipulation of text and
pictures.
But underneath the interface, in the intestines of the system, we
find other signs. The system itself is specified by a program text (that is a
sign since it stands for the set of possible program executions to the
programmer). The actual execution involves a compiler or interpreter that
controls the computer by means of the program text, and since the compiler is a
text standing for the set
of permissible program texts, the compiler is also a
sign — in fact it is a meta-sign that — in some versions — very much resembles
an ordinary grammar.
If we continue this descent through the different
layers of the system, passing through the operating system and the assembly
code, down to the actual machine code, we will encounter signs most of the way.
As we reach the machine code things may possibly change. The machine code is
unique in that its shape physically influences the machine without any mediating
layers. Chunks of machine-code may not stand for anything else than themselves,
so we seem to have arrived at a stage where signs become mere signals.
But
even if it can be argued that the bottom layer of a computer system does not
exhibit sign behavior, everything on top of that is clearly used as signs by
some group of professionals. There are always texts that must be interpreted as
statements or prescriptions about some present or future state of the system. As
we
change level, the concepts signified by the texts change. On the lower
levels, the meaning of the signs are related to the physical parts of the
machine, like registers and storage cells. As we ascend,
the texts are
interpreted differently, we move away from a physical interpretation, and new
software concepts appear, like run-time stacks, heaps, and variables.
A
total picture of the whole system will depict semiotic activities from the top
down to the very bottom of the system. A computer system can be seen as a
complex network of signs, and every level contains aspects that can be treated
semiotically.
