[rossng]

I think it's somewhere between the two. Software development is both creative and rigidly constrained by existing techniques/technology.

Claiming that it's only one or the other is simply creating a false dichotomy.

[melling]

Are you saying that it's art because it's creative? Can you simply list some of the "art"?

[daeken]

Look up the demoscene. http://shadertoy.com is a good start.

[melling]

Can you show me the source that you think is art? I see lots of #define and code that looks like C source.

Just to be clear, we are talking about source code itself that is art, right? Of course, source code can be written to create art. It's a tool, after all.