When artists create works of art, the art very often outlives its creator. Art takes on an independent path through history- creating stories and reflecting the changes in culture while providing a snapshot of the time it was created. In many ways, programming is an art, but since it is relatively new, we don’t yet see truly ancient code that tells tales from the past (despite what budding corporate developers may insist). The biggest difference is that code is an extremely interactive form of art. It carries out tasks that can have a deep organizational impact and can be replicated to additional users almost instantly.
In the way that code works, you can see the mind of the programmer. Stepping through lines of well-written and *gasp* documented code can provide insights into how the creators’ minds approached problems that a process document or report could never adequately capture. This manifestation of the creator in the product becomes especially important when the creator is no longer around. When a programmer dies, their code will likely continue running on servers and carrying out assigned tasks.
Markus Spiske via Pexels
None of this is new information, but the interesting implication of decentralized networks is that a programmer can write code and release it as an autonomous entity. This entity has the option to cut ties with its creator and carry out its own ruleset as long as it has sufficient funds to continue operating. With the use of Oracles, this entity can act on information that exists outside a blockchain such as a death report of its creator.
