LotR -- Book 6 - Chapter 2 - The Land of Shadow

[lathspell]

What exactly was its 'program'?

I centainly don't know. I believe the Ring to be sentient, so why should the Ring be programmed?

Were the Silent Watchers conscious - & if so, how, to what extent & in what way? Was Turin's sword (or the Troll's purse if you want to include the Hobbit)? If any or all of them were conscious it would require an explanation of how a living mind could be bound into a 'dead' object & I think we're venturing into zombie territory there.

Interesting, but I don't believe they were sentient. I believe these things to be programmed. Neither the Silent Watchers, nor the Troll's Purse had an ability like the Ring do something when it decided to do it. The Silent Watchers stood there at the gate and when someone tried to enter they held him back. There no more to it.
The Troll's purse had an antitheft device... when someone tried to grip it which wasn't the owner (or how do we know: not Troll?) it alarmed the owner.

Okay, this is completely humourous in intent, but the thought came to me: what if the part of himself that Sauron put into the Ring was his Feminine Side?

Ah, perhaps your right. I wondered wether Gollum was gay (calling the Ring 'his precious'), but not I understand he knew the Ring to be female.