Software, from First Principles
This is a generous first-principles walkthrough of software as layered abstraction: physical switches, bits, stored programs, compilers, operating systems, networks, and finally the applications people actually touch. It belongs in the links stream because it treats software literacy as agency, not trivia.
The ending is the hook for the current AI moment. Cheaper code generation does not make the stack underneath disappear; it makes clear mental models more valuable. The person who understands the layers can direct agents, verify their output, and debug the places where the abstraction leaks.