Knowledge work and programming as craft work

Two good pointers in an article by Jim McGee today. Jim's note combines a pointer to an interesting article by Alan Cooper asserting that "commercial programming is clearly a craft", not an engineering activity. McGee also points to an even more insiteful article on knowledge work as craft.

Cooper is the author of one of my favorite books: The Inmates Are Running the Asylum : Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How To Restore The Sanity. I talked about his work in an article last year linking Cooper's work with extreme programming.