I've been using Omarchy for months, the Arch-based Linux distro DHH built. I use it, I like it, and at some point I asked myself: can we still make art with software?
I'm one of those people who thinks well-made software is art. I don't always think about it, honestly. Most days I don't. But when you use something built with passion and care, you feel it. There's intention: someone chose, someone cut. You see it in how it looks and how it feels to use. Something can be well thought out and well implemented; if it isn't easy or pleasant, almost nobody remembers it.
Today, with agents and AI, that feels even more important. AI builds. It writes code. Taste, touch, detail: that still comes from the human. From what I see and read, it's going to stay that way for a while.
Omarchy made that clear without anyone explaining it to me. It's a system for people who love using their computer. Almost everything from the keyboard (the mouse still works), more speed, more comfort. Simplicity, flow, customization. You can build it with AI's help. Behind it there's a human vision. Without that, it's just another distro.
Where I'm going with this: writing code is no longer the center. We orchestrate and we decide. The model, the harness, or the trendy tool don't matter as much. What matters is who's behind those agents and how they're run.
Art in software today? For me, yes. When there's intention and vision behind the build. What a good time to build and try things.
Do you see it the same way? What do you think?