Jon Skeet
Sondheim, Seurat and Software - finding art in code

Video URL: https://vimeo.com/254456058

Discussion: Issue #148

White. A blank page or canvas. The challenge: bring order to the whole. Through design. Composition. Tension. Balance. Light. And harmony. The opening lines of Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” were written with fine art and paintings in mind, but ring true for software engineer as well.

As Seurat created grand visions from tiny dots, so software solves huge problems one line at a time. Some parallels are obvious - the suggestion of “favor composition over inheritance springs to mind” - but others take more reflection. This talk offers musings on each element, and links each back to the cornerstone so often neglected in the midst of design docs, specifications and linters: our shared humanity. What turns “good” code into “great” code? How subjective is this? How does it affect how libraries connect with their consumers, and how applications connect with their users? At the end of this talk, you’ll be left with more questions than answers - catalysts for your own thoughts on the nature of code and art, and for further discussion.

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