Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!meaddata!dedek
From: dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Art vs. Engineering
Message-ID: <4366@meaddata.meaddata.com>
Date: 17 May 91 12:38:56 GMT
References: <25170@as0c.sei.cmu.edu> <1312@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> <460@smds.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@meaddata.com
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Lines: 37

In article <460@smds.UUCP>, rh@smds.UUCP (Richard Harter) writes:
|> In article <1312@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM>, chrisp@regenmeister.EBay.Sun.COM (Chris Prael) writes:
|> 
|> > C is great engineering and great art.
|> 
|> Thanks for a good laugh.  C is to great engineering what doggerel is to
|> poetry.

This thread has been discussing whether software development (using
the computer language 'C' in particular) is engineering or art, I
believe.  Since 'C' is a tool/method for software development, in the 
context of *this* discussion it can be likened to say,
concrete.  One can create both art and engineering using concrete, and
sometimes both at the same time, but I wouldn't say (in *this*
context) that concrete itself is either engineering or art.

One can also create 'engineering doggerel' with concrete.

Using this analogy, both statements cited above are invalid.  One
could say '*Software written in* 'C' is great engineering and great
art', or '*Software written in* 'C' is to great engineering what
doggerel is to poetry.'  However, like a bridge created from concrete,
software written in 'C' could be 'great engineering', 'great art', or
'doggerel' *depending on the engineer.*  

Even if one believes that 'C' is a poor, primitive, or unstructured
engineering medium (like sticks), it is still possible to create works
of art or engineering from it.  It may be more difficult, or require
more discipline by the engineer, but it can be done.

Engineers should think before they work.  They should also *think*
before they post :-)

| I'm too lazy to create a .sig file, so I just type this in every
| time I send e-mail!
| Opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
| ...!uunet!meaddata!dedek              ...dedek@moonlight.meaddata.com