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Lisp isn’t a language, it’s a building material.

Alan Kay

Quite a few people have to believe something is normal before it becomes normal – a sort of ‘voting’ situation.
ALAN KAY

Before Believe Few Norma People Quite Situation Something Sort Vote
I’ve heard complaints from even mighty Stanford University with its illustrious faculty that basically the undergraduate computer science program is little more than Java certification.
ALAN KAY

Certification Complain Heard Illustrious Java Program Science Undergraduate University
But Basic happened to be on a GE timesharing system that was done by Dartmouth, and when GE decided to franchise that, it started spreading Basic around just because it was there, not because it had any intrinsic merits whatsoever.
ALAN KAY

Around Basic Decide Done Franchise Happen Spread Timeshare
The tree of research must be fed from time to time with the blood of bean-counters, for it is its natural manure.
ALAN KAY

Bean Blood Countries Manure Must Nature Research Time Tree
Any company large enough to have a research lab is too large to listen to it.
ALAN KAY

Company Enough Large Listen Research Too
I made up the term “object-oriented,” and I can tell you I did not have C++ in mind.
ALAN KAY

Language Made Mind Object Orient Tell Term
There will be always unresolved ambiguity here.
ALAN KAY

Always Ambiguity
[Computing] is just a fabulous place for that, because it’s a place where you don’t have to be a Ph.D. or anything else. It’s a place where you can still be an artisan.
ALAN KAY

Anything Artisan Computer Else Fabulous Just Place
We cannot predict the future, but we can invent it.
ALAN KAY

Future Invent IT Predict
Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising.
ALAN KAY

Another Context Creativity Most Mst Surprise Thing Transition
The greatest single programming language ever designed
ALAN KAY

Design Great Language Program Singer
In success there’s a tendency to keep on doing what you were doing.
ALAN KAY

Do Doing Kept Success Tendency
Bad criticism drives good criticism out of circulation. You just can’t criticize anything.
ALAN KAY

Anything Bad Criticism Good Out
Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible.
ALAN KAY

Complex Possible Simple Thing
In a well functioning world, tools and agents are complementary.
ALAN KAY

Agent Complementary Function World Tool Well
They don’t like the idea of having different points of view, so it was a battle.
ALAN KAY

Battle Different Idea Point View

Lisp isn’t a language, it’s a building material.

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Lisp isn’t a language, it’s a building material.

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