Programming as an art (Part IV)

Computer programming as an art

By Donald Knuth, 1974

(Read parts I, II, and III)

Works of art

When I speak about computer programming as an art, I am thinking primarily of it as an art form, in an aesthetic sense. The chief goal of my work as educator and author is to help people learn how to write beautiful programs.

Taste and style

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it is most important for us all to remember that there is no one “best” style; everybody has his own preferences, and it is a mistake to try to force people into an unnatural mold.

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The important thing is that you really like the style you are using; it should be the best way you prefer to express yourself.

Excerpts from Donald Knuth’s 1974 Turing Award lecture, Computer Programming as an Art.