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

Alan Perlis

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Alan Perlis
Age: 67 †
Born: 1922
Born: April 1
Died: 1990
Died: February 7
Computer Scientist
Mathematician
University Teacher
Pittsburg
Pennsylvania
Alan Jay Perlis
Alan J. Perlis
Noting
Programmer
Programmers
Vitality
Continuing
Measure
Perspective
Attitude
Fortran

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A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
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A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing.
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Once you understand how to write a program get someone else to write it.
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If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.
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Don't have good ideas if you aren't willing to be responsible for them.
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It goes against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail and learning to be self-critical?
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Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.
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There is no such thing as a free variable.
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In the long run, every program becomes rococo, and then rubble.
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Optimization hinders evolution. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
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Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
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FORTRAN is not a flower but a weed - it is hardy, occasionally blooms, and grows in every computer.
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We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.
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Because of its vitality, the computing field is always in desperate need of new cliches: Banality soothes our nerves.
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In computing, the mean time to failure keeps getting shorter.
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In man-machine symbiosis, it is man who must adjust: The machines can't.
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Motto for a research laboratory: what we work on today, others will first think of tomorrow.
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Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon.
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If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.
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