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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.

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
Better
Structures
Functions
Operate
Data
Structure
Function
Trust

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Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.
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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?
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In the long run, every program becomes rococo, and then rubble.
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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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When someone says, I want a programming language in which I need only say what I want done, give him a lollipop.
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If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.
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Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.
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In English every word can be verbed.
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In computing, the mean time to failure keeps getting shorter.
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Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
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C programmers never die. They are just cast into void.
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If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.
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In programming, as in everything else, to be in error is to be reborn.
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There is no such thing as a free variable.
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If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.
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Any noun can be verbed.
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Optimization hinders evolution.
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A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
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A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing.
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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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