Subj : Re: Is programming/computer science an art or science? or both?
To   : comp.programming,comp.software-eng,comp.object
From : H. S. Lahman
Date : Thu Sep 29 2005 09:14 pm

Responding to Apngss...

> Is programming an art or science? Or both?

Both.  In addition there are aspects of craft as well.  So the industry 
is quite schizophrenic and the answer depends upon which part of it one 
happens to be looking at the moment.

The problem is that software development is quite young compared to 
engineering disciplines so the notion of scientific discipline does not 
yet apply to much of it.  That is reflected in the fact that "good" 
programs are often evaluated on subjective criteria even though 
correctness and our tools (e.g., languages) are often based upon complex 
mathematics.

> How can programming be subjective?

There are many areas where the optimal methodological approach has not 
yet been convincingly identified.  In those areas any choice will tend 
to be based on subjective criteria.  In addition, we often have 
conflicting goals (performance, reliability, maintainability, speed of 
development, etc.) that must be reconciled without enough data for 
deterministic optimization.  We also have problems like maintainability 
that defy quantification because the concept itself depends upon purely 
intellectual activities.

> If the program doesn't
> produces the right output, then there is a bug.

Correctness is one of the few things that is currently demonstrable in a 
rigorous fashion (most of the time!).  Where we have problems is in 
situations like agreeing on which program is "better" when both produce 
correct results.

> And how about computer science, is computer science an art or science?
> Some schools
> put this major in Languages and Arts department.

At my alma mater CS is still taught within the EE department.  And most 
schools award PhDs.  OTOH, I know schools that give out BS degrees that 
should be regarded as degrees in alchemy.  Where it is taught or what 
letters are on the degree don't matter relative to the course content.


*************
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H. S. Lahman
hsl@pathfindermda.com
Pathfinder Solutions  -- Put MDA to Work
http://www.pathfindermda.com
blog: http://pathfinderpeople.blogs.com/hslahman
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