Re: elispintro's original (Was: feature request)

[Emanuel Berg]

Marcin Borkowski wrote:

>>> If programming IS an art
>>
>> Programming is not an art, it is a *craft*.
>
> Does there exist any *craft* which is not an
> *art*, too?

Yes: programming :)

One can also think of mechanics, bricklaying,
fighting (altho there was a game for Neo Geo,
if anyone could ever afford that machine,
called "Art of Fighting", and boxing is
sometimes referred to as "the Sweet Science of
bruising/self defense"), moreover war (just
think of "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness", altho
war is clearly an art in "Art of War", 5th
century BC, as well as in "Star Wars: Empire
Strikes Back"), with probably more examples
as well!

Seriously, if anyone were to analyze this in
a dedicated way, first thing would be to define
what is "art", "craft", "science", and
"engineering".

And besides isn't undisputable art, like
artistic painting, very much a craft as well?
And with modern tools, like synthetic brushes
and plastic paint, perhaps there is even an
engineering and scientific part of it as well!

But when one says that "programming isn't an
art, it is a craft" those words are taken in
the popular understanding of the words. E.g.,
tell a bunch of kids programming is an art,
a few of them will consider themselves masters
already (while not knowing how to do it one
bit), while the others will think it is nothing
for them, just something for a selected few,
touched by the divine spirit!

But tell 'em it is a craft and maybe some of
them, the most intelligent, will understand
what it amounts to is actually pressing buttons
with your fingers and then figuring out what
just happened.


PS. Just because programming, i.e.
    writing code, isn't an art doesn't mean the
    end result cannot be a piece of art in some
    minds, or have artistic qualities and/or
    ingredients. For example, the Super
    Famicom/SNES game Chrono Trigger - no why
    isn't that art, if a Doors record or EPO
    novel is?


-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573