Computer Science is an Art

Of the many eternal debates that spiral around software development blogs the one that seems the most intransigent is whether the practice of programming is an art or a science.

Chefs have a similar discussion over cooking and baking.  Cooking is an art while baking is a science.  Why?  Because when you put something in the oven, you had better get it right the first time.  Mistakes mean starting over.  Cooking, on the other hand, allows the chef the leeway to make changes as the dish progresses. The chef can take action to keep the dish from heading off course. For example, when making gravy you keep adding flour until it is the right consistency and if you add too much flour you can add some milk to thin it down.  It is incremental by nature.