
Ask HN: Is there a relation between Software and Art? - tamersalama
Building architecture is sometimes considered a breed between art and science. Is there evidence or research that suggests software follows suit?
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niftich
Urbit [1] is a real software effort that many have considered a deliberate
performance art.

Beautiful Code [2] is a well-known book that attempts to examine the
development of some successful software projects from the perspective of the
lead developers, and how they came to design decisions.

Beautiful Architecture [3] is a similar book focusing on large-scale project
design.

[1] [https://urbit.org/](https://urbit.org/)

[2]
[http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596510046.do](http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596510046.do)

[3]
[http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596517984.do](http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596517984.do)

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rossitter
What evidence could there be, beyond a common assertion?

I have admired software, but art is not simply that which is admired. I have
admired tools, and have been happy with them even while they sit beside me,
unused.

I may write this comment without expecting it to be admired for its luster. I
may write a lyric poem with quite different hopes. It is hard to say just what
art is, but I imagine many would agree that writing may or may not be an
artistic practice. The same goes for pencilwork; I could be tallying in a
margin or sketching a scene. It all depends on how one goes about it, and what
one makes—and to what purpose it is made.

As with art, almost all software is forgettable, most of it is a poor copy of
something already done well long ago, and the best it can hope for in future
is to take up a few minutes of an archivist's life. Still, it may have been
worth making.

