Perhaps the best writers are those
who can get you to care about something you would normally find boring. That’s
what Paul Graham did for me with computers and programming. Not only does he
write with experience about entrepreneurship as well or better than anyone I’ve
ever read, but he makes the computer programmer, known as a “hacker” in his
parlance, seem like a sort of magician with code, capable of solving any
problem or inventing a Willy-Wonka-esque array of tools and toys for the public
to enjoy. Despite having almost no
background in computers, Graham makes me want to be a hacker, as naïve as that
might sound.
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| Hacker? |
What surprised me most about
Graham’s conception of a programmer was his unwavering emphasis on
creativity. My stereotype of creativity
revolves around artists, writers, painters, and musicians. Paul Graham’s book, Hackers and Painters,
likens computer programmers to painters.
He views talent for hackers in much the same way as he would an artist –
one might judge either based on the ability to take a blank canvass and make
something extraordinary that others can appreciate and enjoy. If you can’t do that, you’re not much of a
hacker or a painter.
Graham’s skill as a writer fits
with his vision of programmer. He thinks
good code is parsimonious and efficient, and that’s the way he writes as well. His
book and his essays pack considerable information and analysis into terse prose,
which makes it easy to learn a lot about starting a business and programming by
reading his site.
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