ABSTRACT
Machine code and embedded software are common synonyms for what has become the dividing line between tangible hardware and intangible software. This is not widely understood or appreciated, likely because as long as there are no problems with this very basic level of programming, users are blissfully ignorant. However, when contracting for hardware or software, ignoring machine code is an enormous error. Most of the manner in which machines are open or closed to repair is based on perception, sometimes false, about the nature of machine code and how it should be treated.
