[moocow01]

The "software is eating the world" meme when put into perspective is like saying "accounting practices are eating the world" or "sales strategies are eating the world" in 99% of real world cases. In most businesses, software has become another staple support of a competitive business but it is not an end in itself. In other words, software is a means of trying to achieve maximum efficiency of existing processes and this has been the case for a long time.

We probably don't like to acknowledge it but software is predominantly a support role in most of the companies it is so called "eating." It is utilized to streamline the business process once it has been defined and proven to have an impact on the bottom line.

[jerf]

Accounting and sales is now done with software. And not only "done with software", but with increasing amounts of domain and business knowledge embedded in the software.

That's what "software is eating the world" means. It isn't just that every business needs software in some vague sense, it's that every thing the business does has software in its foundation. Accounting, sales, billing, analysis, development, logistics, pretty much everything except high-level executive vision.

[SideburnsOfDoom]

> software is a means of trying to achieve maximum efficiency of existing processes

When my paper airline ticket is replaced by software (the ticket shows on my phone's screen), is that streamlining existing processes or replacing them?

Your perspective may depend on whether you make printers or not.

Email streamlines communications by replacing letters and stamps.

Software is streamlining video rentals by replacing DVDs with downloads and streams. When the DVD factories shut down, is nothing being "eaten"?

etc.