14th Jun 2004
Hackers & Painters
There’s a new O’Reilly book out entitled Hackers & Painters (Big Ideas from the Computer Age) by Paul Graham. The sample chapter focuses on the idea of hackers (in the classical sense of the word) and painters sharing many traits:
What hackers and painters have in common is that they’re both makers. Along with composers, architects, and writers, what hackers and painters are trying to do is make good things. They’re not doing research per se, though if in the course of trying to make good things they discover some new technique, so much the better.
He goes on to compare the different types of programmers (those obsessed with research and writing papers, those who take an artistic approach, etc.) The sample chapter (Paul’s site) is a great read, and hit many chords with me. (PDF version). I can’t explain every last rocket science algorithm to you, but I can sure delve into all sorts of design discussions, and get into the process of how software evolves (iteration is a good thing). I’ve always been more of one who programs via a sketch, and then continually refines. Back in the BSD 4.1 days, my college friends and I loved getting our programming assignments out of the way, so that we could spend time doing our own projects. Paul doesn’t outright state so (at least in the sample chapter), but a trait that ties together Hackers & Painters would be Passion. He points out how paintings evolve, giving the example: “Countless paintings, when you look at them in xrays, turn out to have limbs that have been moved or facial features that have been readjusted.” I’d call that hacking with a brush.
I’m looking forward to getting this in hardcover, if it doesn’t show up on Safari in the next week.
