People are often surprised when they learned that I switched from a CS major to a History major. People are also often surprised to fond out that I work in the computer industry without a computer degree. I often end up having to explain how computer science as taught to me in college and computer engineering, as carried out in the day to day world are so very different. I'm not even sure how applicable 'science' and 'engineering' are to the stuff we do. I think I agree with your breakdown, and may start referring it to it as Computer Craftwork. Calling it Computer Art might mislead people.
I've also been asked why computer people are often up late into the night hacking out code or perfecting an assignment, or why some of them don't even start until late at night. I think it might be that it might make it easier to tap into the creative levels of the brain. Although sometimes you end up with something that is quite artistic and ingenious, but doesn't work. :P Always debug in the daytime.
It also occurs to me that there are more disciplines that could be assessed this way. As you mention pottery, so could you mention woodwork, or architecture. Computers are in many ways like a material craft, but you are sculpting intangible things, rather than tangible ones: data and algorithms and routines. Like making things out of raw materials, there are different ways of doing it, with different levels of quality. And manipulating code is sometimes like how artists manipulate space, or light, or color to achieve a certain effect taht is above and beyond the putting of paint onto a canvas, or of choosing the right stone to carve.
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Date: 2003-06-11 08:08 am (UTC)I've also been asked why computer people are often up late into the night hacking out code or perfecting an assignment, or why some of them don't even start until late at night. I think it might be that it might make it easier to tap into the creative levels of the brain. Although sometimes you end up with something that is quite artistic and ingenious, but doesn't work. :P Always debug in the daytime.
It also occurs to me that there are more disciplines that could be assessed this way. As you mention pottery, so could you mention woodwork, or architecture. Computers are in many ways like a material craft, but you are sculpting intangible things, rather than tangible ones: data and algorithms and routines. Like making things out of raw materials, there are different ways of doing it, with different levels of quality. And manipulating code is sometimes like how artists manipulate space, or light, or color to achieve a certain effect taht is above and beyond the putting of paint onto a canvas, or of choosing the right stone to carve.