From: Peter Hickman <peterhickman386@...>
Date: 2010-12-17T19:35:01+09:00
Subject: Re: Is programming art?

The creation of software aspires to be a science or at least more like
engineering but it is truly a craft. The software takes shape under
the hands of the coder at the exact moment of creation such as when
the painter creates the painting. Such planning as may be done in
advance can be swept aside in a moment of inspiration with the brush
in hand, the whole canvas can be scrapped because it does not look
right to the artist despite an observer seeing no fault with it.

It is the same with software.

However software, unlike painting or sculpture, is a thing of utility
and thus in a constant state of flux. It is rewritten continuously and
when it no longer has utility it is scrapped. Da Vinci did not return
to the Mona Lisa and say "I think I should really do this in
charcoal", Michelangelo did not return to David and say "his right
hand would look better on his hip, perhaps he should have a more
contemporary haircut".

True works of art have no utility and have a final form.

Software exists solely for it's utility and has no final form to stand
on a pedestal or have learned articles written about.

The the creation of software is a craft/art but the final product is
just that, a product. Some forks are elegant and stylish, others are
ugly and utilitarian but we choose that which functions better as a
fork over that which does not. Beautiful software that does nothing is
soon discarded.

The creation of software is a craft aspiring to be an art but the
result is not art, just utility.

YMMV :)