The Art of Computer Programming

I’ve often argued in my courses that programming is art. There are millions of possibilities to approach a single problem; the programmer works to conform her choice of media to the problem; the program is an expression of an idea; the programmer’s work has more in common with the sculptor than the scientist. Finally, I found another article on the web with similar conclusions: http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2005/06/30/artofprog.html.

I think this is an interesting discussion because it seems to elevate programming above the association of media, software, or hardware. That the act of programming is a passionate skill – less utilitarian, more humanistic; less corporate, more entreprenurial. As the software and hardware – the media – becomes more ubiquitous, I believe that the art of programming will transition to a need for content – that those with artistic expression can use the electronic media as easily as paint, oil, pastels… that the developers of our future will be the Andy Warhol’s of our past… that programmatic expression won’t be limited to what brand of compiler or IDE you enjoy, but rather, more creative tools that inspire and enhance imagination.

Fantastic, isn’t it, to think that programming could evolve from the activity of the geek to the mainstay of creative expression?

R
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