After weeks of hard work we are proud to present the 18th issue of Switch. As software is continuing to gain importance, the CADRE Laboratory has been looking at the cultural embracement of software. This absorption into wide areas of our lives is occurring at times when software has already established a clear trajectory. It has had a highly military and commercial background and it is aiming at a reduction to "default software" in the tradition of Word, Photoshop and Yahoo Mail. Looking for alternatives is not a technical concern anymore but it is a cultural one. -st