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Is Programming Poetry?

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Re: Is Programming Poetry?

#2

Post by pachydermic » 

  BEFOREHAND: close door, each window & exit; wait until time.
      open spellbook, study, read (scan, select, tell us);
  write it, print the hex while each watches,
      reverse its length, write again;
      kill spiders, pop them, chop, split, kill them.
          unlink arms, shift, wait & listen (listening, wait),
  sort the flock (then, warn the "goats" & kill the "sheep");
      kill them, dump qualms, shift moralities,
      values aside, each one;
          die sheep! die to reverse the system
          you accept (reject, respect);
  next step,
      kill the next sacrifice, each sacrifice,
      wait, redo ritual until "all the spirits are pleased";
      do it ("as they say").
  do it(*everyone***must***participate***in***forbidden**s*e*x*).
  return last victim; package body;
      exit crypt (time, times & "half a time") & close it,
      select (quickly) & warn your next victim;
  AFTERWARDS: tell nobody.
      wait, wait until time;
      wait until next year, next decade;
          sleep, sleep, die yourself,
          die at last
  # Larry Wall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Perl

Re: Is Programming Poetry?

#4

Post by calebm »

No (I don't agree with the poetry definition put forth), but programming is LIKE poetry is some ways. Here's one way: analogies in poetry are like libraries in programming; an analogy (like a library function call) can convey a mountain of meaning.

Re: Is Programming Poetry?

#5

Post by masswerk »

For an example of some great code that is both to the point and expressive, see the original code version for the "Expensive Planetarium" by Peter Samson (PDP-1 Macro-assembler, 1962). – The Expensive Planetarium is a piece of autonomous code inside Spacewar!, the first digital video game, displaying a slowly moving realistic background starfield.

[1] http://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/inside/insidespacewar-pt1-ep...

Re: Is Programming Poetry?

#7

Post by manlio »

Fell in love with this one years ago, and still love it...

  #!/usr/bin/perl
  
  APPEAL:
  
  listen (please, please);
  
  open yourself, wide;
      join (you, me),
  connect (us,together),
  
  tell me.
  
  do something if distressed;
  
      @dawn, dance;
      @evening, sing;
      read (books,$poems,stories) until peaceful;
      study if able;
  
      write me if-you-please;
  
  sort your feelings, reset goals, seek (friends, family, anyone);
  
          do*not*die (like this)
          if sin abounds;
  
  keys (hidden), open (locks, doors), tell secrets;
  do not, I-beg-you, close them, yet.
  
                              accept (yourself, changes),
                              bind (grief, despair);
  
  require truth, goodness if-you-will, each moment;
  
  select (always), length(of-days)
  
  # listen (a perl poem)
  # Sharon Hopkins
  # rev. June 19, 1995

Re: Is Programming Poetry?

#9

Post by strickjb9 »

calebm wrote: post #4

No (I don't agree with the poetry definition put forth), but programming is LIKE poetry is some ways. Here's one way: analogies in poetry are like libraries in programming; an analogy (like a library function call) can convey a mountain of meaning.

The author knew he was being provocative and later revokes his theory due to code not being able to evoke emotion. But I disagree, I've felt rage many of times while code reviewing.
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