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Drupalcon Szeged is one week away. I am glad I am attending, and I am planning on leading a Birds of a Feather (BOF) during the conference. The focus of the BOF is creativity and programming. I want to discuss the weird mix of human behavior and code. Sounds strange I know, so let me describe in more detail.

I think any developer knows programming is a chance to be creative, to problem solve, to come up with a better way (or even a fun or unique way) of managing a process or data. Sometimes outside pressures can encourage bad coding practices. Deadlines, tight budgets, or as Nedjo Rogers describes so well in a recent blog post, because you want the tools so you can take advantage of them right away:

Confessions of a one-time Project Module contributor

I am inspired by his post, and I hope to encourage others while I am at Drupalcon. I am reminded of another source of inspiration:

The Art of Unix Programming written by Eric S. Raymond. You can read it online too at http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/

Chapter 1 - Basics of the Unix Philosophy focuses on some fantastic rules for programming. One of my favorites is

Rule of Clarity: Clarity is better than cleverness.

The book goes into detail with each rule, so check it out. Which one is your favorite?

I will be discussing these things and more (my list keeps getting longer) at the BOF: Creativity and Programming. Can't wait!