Where answers come from

Some pages can ask a language model questions. Set this up once; your choice is remembered in this browser for the whole site.

Model source
Use another source instead
You sign in on OpenRouter; it gives this page a key for your account.

It's Programmable... It's configurable...

Originally published .

How much difference is there between a program and a configuration?

Consider that a program is a set of instructions for a universal Turing machine. If a configuration determines how a program does something… if the configuration becomes sophisticated enough so that it even includes a DSL when does it cross the line from merely a configuration into a programming language.

When does a program become configuration? When does a configuration become a program? What is the difference?

Explore the map · Browse by topic and date