Programs gain attributes quantitatively. A healthy program grows by getting physically bigger. It passes certain thresholds , after which it is qualitatively different. In a simple physical system, matter is inert. As the system evolves, matter reshapes into more and more complex forms which at first become replicating, then alive.
Systems learn and change.
Programs don't, except when compelled systemically. Servo-mechanisms , a method for using information from a feedback loop to automatically change a process to keep it within predetermined limits. Typically consists of a sensor, an amplifier, and a motor, which allows for automatic control. Systems evolve by using ever-increasing increments of information . Programs evolve by using ever-increasing amounts of physical resources .