exist.pl by Pall Thayer
exist.pl is an exploration of the metaphysical and ontological qualities of a computer program. It is designed as an introspective analysis conducted by the program itself, producing no output in the process. It begins with a Cartesian reduction. Through a traditional version-based evolution of software, a single program is provided with increasingly complex methods for examining and perhaps understanding its own existence and state of being. Development of the program occurs through open discussions and suggestions on the Rhizome.org discussion forum. Each upgraded version is published in source-form within the discussion thread. Due to the introspective nature of the work, it can only be fully understood through a cross examination of the running software, the source-code and the discussions influencing its development. The program is available under a GPL license. As an exhibition piece, the work would be shown as a process running on a computer as well as prints of the progressive versions of the source-code and relevant highlights from the discussion affecting its development.
http://rhizome.org/discuss/view/38040
