programming as an art
art once meant skill: a practice, not a product.
we've lost that meaning.
where "art" came from
the latin ars and greek techne both meant skill.
from techne we get technology, technique: doing things well, with care.
before the 20th century, art didn't mean painting or sculpture.
it meant logic, reason, method.
art was human intellect, applied.
science and art
- science was knowing.
- art was doing.
you learned the science of the stars to practice the art of navigation.
today science gives us theory, engineering puts it to work.
writing programs
programming can feel like writing music or shaping a line of poetry.
you build structure, tame complexity, find rhythm.
sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it flows.
but the best programs aren't just functional, they feel finished.
clear. precise. expressive.
we've all seen them:
- programs that are elegant.
- programs that are exquisite.
- programs that are sparkling.
this is what it means to treat programming as an art.
based on programming as an art (Knuth, 1974)