Post #2411755

2026-04-29 07:50 UTC

In particular, writing code with care is a process that helps the writer understand something: About the domain, an ingenious algorithmic idea, and, most importantly, about the humans that inhabit it, and - sometimes - even something fundamental about ourselves, our understanding of the world and the folks around us, and about our own minds. When that happens, it can bring great joy, and the spark inherent in such code can jump over to the reader: Good code can convey this understanding and joy, the idea as it formed in the writer's head, the click when everything fit together just so. (I still remember Andy Hertzfeld's "famous print routine" on the Apple II from the early 80s, and still feel a connection to the man even though I never met him.) Code written collaboratively can bring all of these joys and insights to the next level.

Replies (1)

@sperbsen@discuss.systems 2026-04-29 07:51

Thinking of code in this way sometimes makes me think of Peter Brook's great, great book on the theatre, "The Empty Space". (I apologize for the analogy if it makes no sene to you - I do theatre sometimes, so it's on my mind.) Brook distinguishes between the Deadly, the Holy, the Rough, and the Immediate Theatre. In the Deadly theatre, the shape is right - everything is objectively done by coping previous, established productions, but it is lifeless and uninspired. The Holy theatre makes "the invisible visible", and imparts deeper spiritual truths to the audience. It's immediately recognizable if you've been so lucky as to be in its presence. The Rough theatre is popular theatre, less focussed on style but to make "joy and laughter" as it organically transforms characters and plot into stagecraft. The Immediate theatre is about the live, direct relationship between the actors and the audience, leaving room for improvisation and variation. I'll leave you to apply these concepts to code you've seen.

Open ##2411756