From: Dossy <dossy@...>
Date: 2002-05-12T13:16:54+09:00
Subject: Re: OT:is software eng an art?

On 2002.05.12, Brian Wisti <brian@coolnamehere.com> wrote:
> 
> I've always thought that the whole art/science split is rather arbitrary.  It 
> suggests that science has no room for inspiration, and art has no room for 
> discipline.  Art and science seem to blur together in many places (examples: 
> fractals, rules of proportion/perspective).
> 
> As a rule, I don't trust people who believe that there is such a thing as 
> "pure science/engineering" or "pure art".

Pure science/engineering is usually useful (nay, required?) when
lives are at stake.  Think of building buildings, or bridges, or
pacemakers, or nuclear power plant control systems, or that
kind of rubbish.  I'd rather not have some hotshot get "creative"
with the way they build the monitoring equipment that they use
in a hospital operating theater.

Of course, I'd guess that the large majority of people don't
ever touch a system where such high risks are at play (including
myself, thank god) so there's little _requirement_ for science
in most people's jobs.

-- Dossy

-- 
Dossy Shiobara                       mail: dossy@panoptic.com 
Panoptic Computer Network             web: http://www.panoptic.com/ 
  "He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
    folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)