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.
More quotes from Alan Perlis
It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
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?
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
The computing field is always in need of new cliches.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
One man’s constant is another man’s variable.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of nothing.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Don’t have good ideas if you aren’t willing to be responsible for them.
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.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
You can measure a programmer’s perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.
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.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word “frustration”.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
If a listener nods his head when you’re explaining your program, wake him up.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Every program has two purposes: The one for which it was written and another for which it wasn’t.
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.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
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.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)
A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.
American computer scientist (1922-1990)