Printemptation
Critics
On the positive side:
Beautiful
Easy to remember, hear it once, you got it!
Whistled it all day long
Feels like I’ve heard it before but. . .
On the negative side:
Easy listening
Elevator music
On the positive side
Beautiful: your sense of aesthetics
Easy to remember: simplicity, obviousness
Feels like I’ve heard it before: universality
Why ?
A simple melodic pattern
II V I’s harmonic progression (99.999% of occidental music)
The music speaks your language, in simple terms
Can we say as much about our programs ?
Printemptation under the Hood
On the negative side
Easy listening: simplicity, no surprise
Elevator music: Easy is boring
But is this song “simple” and “easy”, really ?
This song expresses a complex problem, in simple terms
Can we say as much about our programs ?
Conclusion
The purpose of a song is to be good
The purpose of a program is to be correct
A bad program can still be correct
Keep the music of programming in mind
