I hope the field of computer science never loses its sense of fun.
ALAN PERLISIt is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
More Alan Perlis Quotes
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In computing, the mean time to failure keeps getting shorter.
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Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn’t.
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Optimization hinders evolution.
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I don’t think we are. I think we’re responsible for stretching them, setting them off in new directions, and keeping fun in the house.
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To understand a program, you must become both the machine and the program.
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Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it.
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In man-machine symbiosis, it is man who must adjust: The machines can’t.
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It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.
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One man’s constant is another man’s variable.
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You can measure a programmer’s perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.
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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.
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C programmers never die. They are just cast into void.
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Adapting old programs to fit new machines usually means adapting new machines to behave like old ones.
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A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.
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Because of its vitality, the computing field is always in desperate need of new cliches.
ALAN PERLIS