"Paul Graham argued that hackers need to understand the theory of computation about as much as painters need to understand paint chemistry, and found painting a richer source of ideas than computational theory."
In Hackers & Painters, Graham argues that software creators share important characteristics with painters, writers, architects and other makers. Drawing on his own experience in programming and painting, he explains that understanding the medium and borrowing ideas from other creative disciplines can be more fruitful than concentrating exclusively on theoretical computer science. His argument reinforces the chapter's theme that technological innovation benefits from knowledge and perspectives originating outside its established technical disciplines.
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