That’s because it’s a craft, not engineering

I like the following slashdot comment, it reflects exactly what I think about Software Development:

That’s because it’s a craft, not engineering:
I have always seen software “engineering” as a craft, done by craftsmen. There are too many unfixed aspects to be able to really call it engineering or a science. Of course it has elements of those, but it also has elements of art, and that’s what makes it a craft. And just as there are wonderful craftsmen who can create a masterpiece of a beautiful chair from wood, there are factories turning out cheap Ikea furniture by the ton. Both might be perfectly functional in terms of parking one’s botttom, but in a hundred years time no-one will be seeking out Ikea chairs in antique shops.

Software is much the same. A true craftsmen of the art will produce code that is so tight, so functional and so spare that it is nothing short of beautiful. When was the last time you made something beautiful? We all get the warm fuzzies from time to time when we think we’ve done good work, but how can you really tell?

My view is that software engineering courses are all very well (not exactly a waste of time), but they might perhaps be the wrong way to turn out good programmers. Perhaps something more like the traditional apprenticeship would serve better - mentoring by someone who is already a craftsman “well versed in the art”. I guess the main drawback of this is that most good programmers are often terrible teachers, but that might reflect the lack of a tradition in the field.

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