Software as Literature

Danny Thorpe — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:18:15 +0000

If software programming logic and statements were viewed as literature, what form of literature would yours be?

Novel: multiple independent story lines that you hope will eventually converge to make a point.
Short story: a limited number of characters with only one point to make
Essay: tell ‘em what you’re going to say, say it, then tell ‘em what you said
Tragedy: everything that can go wrong usually does
Sonnet: ornately crafted for no particular reason
Ode: behold my skillz, and despair!
Thriller: I’ve got a bad feeling about this…
Murder Mystery: when things go wrong, top priority is on placing blame
Self-Help: You can do it! Please do.
Epic Saga: “Help! I can’t stop writing!”
Technical Documentation: Useful bits hidden in a sea of jargon, surrounded by a narcoleptic field
Government Bulletin: Technical docs sans useful bits
Billboard: all flash, no substance

Since I come from the school of “simple elegance”, I’d have to say that my ideal software’s literary equivalent would be

Comedy: If you have to explain it, it’s not very good.

Danny Thorpe » literature