View Poll Results: Where would you put the art-ness of programming?

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  • I very strongly believe that it is art.

    11 29.73%
  • sure... it's art.

    17 45.95%
  • I'm not sure.

    1 2.70%
  • I could kinda vaguely see how others would think it was art, but not me.

    5 13.51%
  • definately not art. no way.

    3 8.11%

Thread: Is Programming Art?

  1. #1
    Registered User major_small's Avatar
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    Is Programming Art?

    this is not one of those "is programming art or science" questions, because I think we can all agree that programming is science, but is it also art?

    inspiration from this story found on /.

    discuss. vote.

    btw, I program and think like Paul Graham. I always thought that was very wrong... until I read that article... so to the rest of you
    Last edited by major_small; 07-06-2005 at 12:06 AM.
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  2. #2
    Has a Masters in B.S.
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    where's the "who cares?, it is what it is." option?
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  3. #3
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    My opinion is that anything that involves creativity is a form of art.

  4. #4
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    I guess techically it can be considered art...but when my source code goes on display for it's "creativeness" then ill call it true art.

  5. #5
    Registered User major_small's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by no-one
    where's the "who cares?, it is what it is." option?
    now if you really didn't care, would you really be reading this thread?
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  6. #6
    Banned nickname_changed's Avatar
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    http://www.answers.com/art&r=67

    Quote Originally Posted by the link, dumbass
    A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities: the art of building.
    So yes, I think it is. My ex girlfriend (an art student) and I had a talk about it once. In the end it came down to "programming is a form of art to me", because I can look at code and see whether the design is beautiful. But I wouldn't consider it an art the same way as music or literature or sculpture, because to 99% of people it's not.

    So if you think it's beautful, then it's art. That doesn't mean Dum Danny down the street has to call it art, and you can't force him to admit that it is. It's kinda like arguing about whether the glass is half full or half empty - it depends on who's looking at it. So I think this poll would be better titled "do YOU see programming as an art form?".

  7. #7
    the hat of redundancy hat nvoigt's Avatar
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    Programming is like painting. You can get a job done painting a wall or you can take some time and create beauty from an empty canvas. It's up to the skills and motives of the painter.
    hth
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  8. #8
    Deleting... VOX's Avatar
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    The true, correct answer to the glass question depends on what made it its current state. If it was empty and filled half way up, it is half full. If it was full and someone drank half, it is half empty.
    Boy you stink, go take a shower before you continue to code. Better do your laundry and spray your chair too.

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  9. #9
    the hat of redundancy hat nvoigt's Avatar
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    The answer to the glass question from an economic point of view is simple: the glass is to large for its task, it needs to be downsized.
    hth
    -nv

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  10. #10
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    Well no, I don't think so. Engineering isn't an art either. But I guess it also depends on the branch if programming, programming a game is pretty close to art, but programming an hex editor is far away from it. (If something as a hex editor even exists)
    -Felix
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  11. #11
    Rad gcn_zelda's Avatar
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    I do believe that programming is an art. Art involves creativity, focus, the ability to place your thoughts on canvas, and math(look at a lot of da Vinci's works). Programming involves creativity - you need it to come up with what to do and how to do it, focus, the ability to turn your thoughts into code, and math.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Felix
    Well no, I don't think so. Engineering isn't an art either. But I guess it also depends on the branch if programming, programming a game is pretty close to art, but programming an hex editor is far away from it. (If something as a hex editor even exists)
    What if you write software to paint pretty pictures?

  13. #13
    Registered User major_small's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stovellp
    What if you write software to paint pretty pictures?
    that raises another question: is computer-generated art really art?
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  14. #14
    The N00b That Owns You!
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    i concur toward the fact that it is art, in a different form. depends i would call it visual art as it makes something visual lol and it requires creativity and knowledge. there are many different ways of coding like there is many different ways of painting

  15. #15
    Has a Masters in B.S.
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    >now if you really didn't care, would you really be reading this thread?

    im a trolling ..............?
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