> "# The misguided notion that software is art and hence not amenable to
> discipline"

I think concluding that art is not amenable to discipline is wrong.

> So, is software creation an art or a discipline (or a science)?  Opinions
> welcome.

From a practical pov, I don't think software creation is art. I just don't
put it in the same category as painting, sculpture, music, dance, etc.
Software can be very inelegant, very 'unartistic' and still functional ...
I'm sure we've all seen big ball of mud source code that still managed to do
most of its job.

This thread makes me think about Good Work, rather than art ... so I like
the term craft better than art.

C.S. Lewis writes this about Good Work:

    When our Lord provided a poor wedding party with an extra glass of
    wine all round, he was doing good works. But also good work; it was
    a wine really worth drinking.

I think there are two extremes here pulling for a balance.

"Let's not be so 'artistic' that we don't submit ourselves to discipline and
accomplishing our jobs."
"Let's not be so disciplined that we fail to use our creativity, fail to
strive for elegance, and rob our works of Good Work."

Chris