Software ? That is the question . The Holistic

Software Engineering is still a largely immature engineering discipline. To cope with this problem, the goal of the “Software Engineering Method And Theory” (SEMAT) collaborative project is to “refound software engineering based on a solid theory, proven principles and best practices”. According to the vision statement, the starting point is to define what is “Software Engineering” and in particular what is “Engineering”. We claim that before to focus on these definitions there is a much more fundamental question that MUST NOT be eluded is “What is Software?”. In this position paper we show that the very notion of software is evolving over time and that it should be considered as a polymorphic notion. We recommend to consider an holistic view on software, and briefly describe the impact of this choice on Eoftware Engineering, in terms of the set of theories required and practices to be consolidated. Recommendations in terms of the architecture for SEMAT are then briefly sketched. We claim that not considering EXPLICITELY the evolving and polymorphic nature of software may endanger the whole scope and results of the SEMAT project. Finally, as SEMAT is a social construction we suggest considering this project from a Research 2.0 perspective to bring a full power to it.