Creativity & Constraint
Most people think that freedom engenders creativity, but the opposite is true. But too much constraint makes it hard to get stuff done. It turns out that you need just enough constraint, and figuring out what gives you that perfect level is harder than you think. This keynote investigates the relationship between creativity and constraint as it applies to software development in the modern world.
Video
Neal Ford
ThoughtWorks
Neal Ford is Software Architect and Meme Wrangler at ThoughtWorks, a global IT consultancy with an exclusive focus on end-to-end software development and delivery. He is also the designer and developer of applications, instructional materials, magazine articles, courseware, video/DVD presentations, and author and/or editor of 6 books spanning a variety of technologies, including the most recent The Productive Programmer. He focuses on designing and building of large-scale enterprise applications. He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker, speaking at over 100 developer conferences worldwide, delivering more than 600 talks. Check out his web site at www.nealford.com. He welcomes feedback and can be reached at nford@thoughtworks.com.
Comments on this page are now closed.
Comments
The historical anecdotes remind me that what is old is new and what is new is old. Neal’s and Uncle Bob’s keynotes meshed very well together. That said, I’m not sure how much I am into the whole “Code is art” idea. I tend to view coding and programs as utilitarian things. Art is something we dwell on. Art also tends to be something that ages well. Code does not age well. Coding for me is a means to an end, the end being business value. From an art as craft perspective – we certainly should strive to be the best craftsmen we can be. Again, a well done talk!
Neal built up to his point with a lot of supporting ancedotes, but they were mostly weak. I appreciated the 6 laws of art, or whatever that was called.
The quote from _why almost brought a tear.
Your closing bit about _why gave me goosebumps. Great talk!