I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one’s contributions to computer science.
Meaning of the quote
Donald Knuth, a famous American scientist, believes that people should not try to get patents on computer algorithms. He thinks there are better ways for people to make money than by stopping others from using the things they have contributed to the field of computer science.
About Donald Knuth
Donald Knuth is a renowned American computer scientist and mathematician who is considered the “father of the analysis of algorithms.” He is the author of the multi-volume work “The Art of Computer Programming” and is the creator of the TeX typesetting system and the Computer Modern font family.
More quotes from Donald Knuth
There’s ways to amuse yourself while doing things and thats how I look at efficency.
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Let us change our traditional attitude to the construction of programs. Instead of imagining that our main task is to instruct a computer what to do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a computer to do.
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The manuals we got from IBM would show examples of programs and I knew I could do a heck of a lot better than that. So I thought I might have some talent.
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American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one’s contributions to computer science.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
The most important thing in the programming language is the name. A language will not succeed without a good name. I have recently invented a very good name and now I am looking for a suitable language.
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The hardest thing is to go to sleep at night, when there are so many urgent things needing to be done. A huge gap exists between what we know is possible with today’s machines and what we have so far been able to finish.
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Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
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American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
In fact what I would like to see is thousands of computer scientists let loose to do whatever they want. That’s what really advances the field.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
An algorithm must be seen to be believed.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
The most important thing in the kitchen is the waste paper basket and it needs to be centrally located.
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)