Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.

About Alan Perlis

Alan Jay Perliswas an American computer scientist and professor at Purdue University, Carnegie Mellon University and Yale University. He is best known for his pioneering work in programming languages and was the first recipient of the Turing Award.

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More quotes from Alan Perlis

It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble?

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

The computing field is always in need of new cliches.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

One man’s constant is another man’s variable.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of nothing.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Don’t have good ideas if you aren’t willing to be responsible for them.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

It goes against the grain of modern education to teach students to program. What fun is there to making plans, acquiring discipline, organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be self critical.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

You can measure a programmer’s perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

The best book on programming for the layman is “Alice in Wonderland”; but that’s because it’s the best book on anything for the layman.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word “frustration”.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

If a listener nods his head when you’re explaining your program, wake him up.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Every program has two purposes: The one for which it was written and another for which it wasn’t.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

I think it is inevitable that people program poorly. Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

A picture is worth 10K words – but only those to describe the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described with pictures.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)

A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.

Alan Perlis

American computer scientist (1922-1990)