A vast amount of modern scientific and technological knowledge relies on the
software that we have been collectively writing: deep knowledge from
fields like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance and
social sciences is now inextricably embodied into complex software systems,
which model it at a level of detail that goes way beyond that of the usual
scientific publications.

Preserving this software is of paramount importance to preserve our knowledge.

It is is a necessary prerequisite to allow the replication of experiments, which
is the foundation of the scientific method, as well as to ensure our ability to
modify and correct the software components that are constantly being
incorporated into critical systems that need to stay in production for decades.

In this talk, we will review the challenges and opportunities we are facing, and
discuss the role of Open Source as a key enabler.

The slides of the talk can be found {{seminaires:irif:sem_irif_20160916_di-cosmo.pdf | here}}.