2 ms·

It depends though where you're coming from. I write the library for the pleasure of it. I'm aiming to create something I think beautiful - for better or for w

by liblfds 10y ago

It depends though where you're coming from. I write the library for the pleasure of it. I'm aiming to create something I think beautiful - for better or for worse, from other people's point of view :-) I'm not actually looking for it to be used as such. It may well be, if my idea of beautiful is any good, it will come to be used, but that's... it's like a side effect. When you paint a picture, or sculpt a sculpture, or write a song, you're not competing with other artists to make what other people will judge to be the better picture, sculpture or song.

chillacy 10y ago
Ah the old artist vs designer dilemma... > When you paint a picture, or sculpt a sculpture, or write a song, you're not competing with other artists to make what other people will judge to be the better picture, sculpture or song. You're right... it depends where you're coming from. From an economic point of view, paintings and concerts that are sold have a price point, which if set too high will cause patrons to look elsewhere. The alternatives can be seen as your competition, since they will dictate your pricing. If Netflix doesn't carry one movie I wanted to see, I'll happily watch another to fill my movie night. And when I'm choosing to see which movie to watch, I'm judging those movies based on their directors, actors, genre, reviews, etc. So when you say that statement, it has to be taken from your (the creator's) point of view. Because when I'm integrating a library into my project, I will be looking at it from the user's point of view, not the creator's. I'm going to pick a library, and I'll pick it based on their API, how many users they have, the quality of documentation, etc. Reminds me of a quote: "Art is like masturbation. It is selfish and introverted and done for you and you alone. Design is like sex. There is someone else involved, their needs are just as important as your own, and if everything goes right, both parties are happy in the end."

by liblfds 10y ago

chillacy 10y ago

Ah the old artist vs designer dilemma... > When you paint a picture, or sculpt a sculpture, or write a song, you're not competing with other artists to make what other people will judge to be the better picture, sculpture or song. You're right... it depends where you're coming from. From an economic point of view, paintings and concerts that are sold have a price point, which if set too high will cause patrons to look elsewhere. The alternatives can be seen as your competition, since they will dictate your pricing. If Netflix doesn't carry one movie I wanted to see, I'll happily watch another to fill my movie night. And when I'm choosing to see which movie to watch, I'm judging those movies based on their directors, actors, genre, reviews, etc. So when you say that statement, it has to be taken from your (the creator's) point of view. Because when I'm integrating a library into my project, I will be looking at it from the user's point of view, not the creator's. I'm going to pick a library, and I'll pick it based on their API, how many users they have, the quality of documentation, etc. Reminds me of a quote: "Art is like masturbation. It is selfish and introverted and done for you and you alone. Design is like sex. There is someone else involved, their needs are just as important as your own, and if everything goes right, both parties are happy in the end."