In general, &quot;art&quot; had a different meaning in past times compared to today.<p>It was the subject of this very interesting excerpt by Knuth, recently posted by pg.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.paulgraham.com&#x2F;knuth.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.paulgraham.com&#x2F;knuth.html</a>