Richard Gabriel has an interesting and relevant proposal for a Master of Fine Arts in Software program. I think it would actually work better than a MSCS for many people who want to work as developers on regular applications.<p><a href="https://www.dreamsongs.com/MFASoftware.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.dreamsongs.com/MFASoftware.html</a>
Hm - I have read many times that the "premature optimization is the root of all evil" quote was misattributed to Donald Knuth and actually came from C.A.R. Hoare, but here it is in print, and he seems to present it as his own thought. I'm going to go back to attributing this to Knuth. (and pointing out that almost everybody who repeats it is misunderstanding it)
The example of the "trapped housewife" on page 6 is a great example of just how spoiled and entitled we've become. We can't imagine doing a routine job every day unless it's somehow <i>fun</i>, to the point where he describes the housewife as "trapped" just because she has to clean the same boring table day after day. Why isn't it rewarding enough to know that I'm cleaning a table so that my children can have a clean place to eat their food, so that they can grow up in a clean and healthy environment? Why do I have to <i>spice up</i> this task to make it more stimulating to my brain? People successfully did boring and tedious tasks for <i>thousands of years</i> without needing to turn them into enjoyable pleasant experiences. Maybe we should learn from them.
>Dabblers & Blowhards (2004) [Response to Hackers & Painters]
> <a href="http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm</a>
Artistry produces beauty. Craftsmanship produces quality. They are not the same thing, and they are not necessarily in conflict. But don't confuse one for the other.
I think Knuth makes some good points.<p>I'm also a fan or science that is presented artfully. I'm not sure those are the best words to describe it, but 'artful' is the feeling I get when watching a Richard Feynman lecture or see an interview where he talks about physics.