Just as music is sound and not-sound, so is code defined by what it does and does not do (Robert's Rule #14)

[Tweeted 2011-05-17]

One of my least favorite topics while at university was aesthetics; however, it was also probably one of the most informative. While talking about music, for instance, we discussed how music is both sound and the absence of sound; how the space between the (musical) notes is as definitive as the notes themselves.

This concept can be applied to many things in life and is such a universal principle that Alfred North Whitehead even references a similar concept in his tome on metaphysics when he talks about negative prehension. However, since in many ways writing software is similar to composing a piece of music, it is my belief that this concept applies even more directly to software development than other areas, which is why Rule #14 is just as music is sound and not-sound, so is code defined by what it does and does not do.

Therefore, when you start designing your application, set clear boundaries to establish the key and time signature in which you will compose your grand opus, and begin. Let the music fill you and listen for the spaces between the notes.