Runme.org is a software art repository, launched in January 2003. It is an open, moderated database to which people are welcome to submit projects they consider to be interesting examples of software art.

Software art lies at the intersection of two almost non-overlapping realms: software and art. It has a different meaning and aura in each. Software art draws its lifeblood and its techniques from living software culture and represents approaches and strategies similar to those used in the art world.

Software culture lives on the Internet and is often presented through special sites called software repositories. Art is traditionally presented in festivals and exhibitions.

Software art on the one hand brings software culture into the art field, but on the other hand it extends art beyond institutions.

The aim of Runme.org is to create an exchange interface for artists and programmers, which will work towards a contextualization of this new form of cultural activity. Runme.org welcomes projects regardless of the date and context of their creation. The repository is happy to host different kinds of projects—ranging from found, anonymous software art to famous projects by established artists and programmers.

Runme.org is structured in two major ways: taxonomically/rationally (category list) and intuitively (keyword cloud). The best works submitted to Runme.org will be reviewed by the “experts”, who will change over time.

Though Runme.org partly grew from the Read_me 1.2 festival, it is an autonomous repository, upon which the festival is now based. The second edition of Read_Me took place in Helsinki in May 2003. In 2004 the festival moves to Aarhus, Denmark.