“Let’s Talk About Software” at the Potsdam Day of Sciences
On 4 May, NFDIxCS presents the interactive format “Let’s Talk About Software” at the Potsdam Day of Sciences, inviting participants to explore how software can be described, understood, and communicated.
Description
On 4 May, NFDIxCS takes part in the Potsdam Day of Sciences with the interactive format “Let’s Talk About Software.” The event offers a hands-on opportunity to reflect on how software is explained, documented, and interpreted by different audiences.
Software systems are often highly complex and developed through intensive collaborative processes. Their long-term usability and reusability depend not only on technical robustness but also on transparent and accessible documentation. Clear descriptions are crucial for traceability, sustainable development, and effective knowledge transfer. But how easy is it to describe software in a way that others immediately understand?
The interactive experiment invites participants to formulate descriptions of well-known software applications and, conversely, to identify software based solely on textual explanations. Through this exchange, the format highlights the diversity of perspectives and the creative ways in which users conceptualise digital tools.
The Potsdam Day of Sciences provides an ideal setting to present the objectives of NFDIxCS to a broader public audience. By connecting questions of software description with research data management, the event illustrates how documentation, transparency, and structured information are essential components of sustainable scientific infrastructures.
The outcomes of the experiment are documented and made available after the event, demonstrating the wide range of interpretations and communicative strategies that emerge when people “talk about software.”