Indeed, I find the value of programming, emotionally, comes in part as a test of oneself against the inanimate world. There's no negotiating with a program, no

Indeed, I find the value of programming, emotionally, comes in part as a test of oneself against the inanimate world. There's no negotiating with a program, no sales, no bullying. If it doesn't work, it is abundantly clear whose fault that is. In its own way, this is a very comforting perspective. Read Shop Class as Soulcraft, by Matthew Crawford (one of my favorite books), for more on this. One outcome of Crawford's analysis is that really skilled craftsmen (he would consider programming a craft) are excellent at admitting failure - it's the only path to success. I do agree the author of the article doesn't seem to understand artists, and appears quite prejudiced against the artistic creative process. Creating art seriously is every bit as challenging as programming, mostly in the same ways.