Re: [xml-dev] Engineering versus Science, Anecdote versus Evidence ... [

[cbullard@hiwaay.net]

The invisible art is not art.  It is glue and paint artfully applied.   
  The art is in the ability to provide an experience.   To think  
otherwise is to understand neither.

len

Quoting Tom De Herdt <tom.deherdt@skynet.be>:

>> Indeed. Like the fine carvings in inaccessible places in a  
>> cathedral, invisible to everyone but the creator and the Creator.
>
> Thank you for this fine image.
>
> Probably out of context, but I couldn't help but think of words  
> attributed to Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, 5th century BC:
> "invisible harmony is superior to the visible"
>
> Although both forms of harmony (or elegance) are probably important,  
> in different ways.
>
> Tom De Herdt
> http://www.wulfila.be
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Kay
> To: xml-dev@lists.xml.org
> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 9:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [xml-dev] Engineering versus Science, Anecdote versus  
> Evidence ... [Was: Designing an experiment to gather evidence on  
> approaches to designing web services]
>
>
> On 30/12/2011 01:41, David Lee wrote:
>> IMHO the art of software is often invisible to nearly everyone but  
>> the creator.
>
> Indeed. Like the fine carvings in inaccessible places in a cathedral,
> invisible to everyone but the creator and the Creator.
>
> I take great delight in the internal poetry of code: making the source
> look good on the screen, eloquence in the choice of names, choosing the
> elegant design over the banal and obvious one. A joy of working for
> myself is that I don't have to try and rationalize why I do this; a joy
> of writing open source is that the enjoyment can be shared by others.
> This is definitely art rather than engineering, but I like to think that
> the pride in craftsmanship has beneficial side effects on the
> engineering metrics of the final artefact.
>
> But all this is an indulgence; it doesn't pay the wages. It's what a
> good craftsman does, but not what he is paid to do. The day job is
> engineering.
>
> There is also art, of course, in what is exposed to users: the external
> visual design. But that's a different question, and one where I have
> very little competence.
>
> Michael Kay
> Saxonica
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
>
> XML-DEV is a publicly archived, unmoderated list hosted by OASIS
> to support XML implementation and development. To minimize
> spam in the archives, you must subscribe before posting.
>
> [Un]Subscribe/change address: http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/
> Or unsubscribe: xml-dev-unsubscribe@lists.xml.org
> subscribe: xml-dev-subscribe@lists.xml.org
> List archive: http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
> List Guidelines: http://www.oasis-open.org/maillists/guidelines.php  
> _______________________________________________________________________
>
> XML-DEV is a publicly archived, unmoderated list hosted by OASIS
> to support XML implementation and development. To minimize
> spam in the archives, you must subscribe before posting.
>
> [Un]Subscribe/change address: http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/
> Or unsubscribe: xml-dev-unsubscribe@lists.xml.org
> subscribe: xml-dev-subscribe@lists.xml.org
> List archive: http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
> List Guidelines: http://www.oasis-open.org/maillists/guidelines.php
>
>