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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.

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
Another
Computing
Two
Purposes
Every
Programming
Program
Wasn
Least
Written
Purpose

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Once you understand how to write a program get someone else to write it.
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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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Every reader should ask himself periodically “Toward what end, toward what end?”—but do not ask it too often lest you pass up the fun of programming for the constipation of bittersweet philosophy.
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There is no such thing as a free variable.
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Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
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A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing.
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A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
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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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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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Dealing with failure is easy: Work hard to improve. Success is also easy to handle: You've solved the wrong problem. Work hard to improve.
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It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
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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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Don't have good ideas if you aren't willing to be responsible for them.
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Programmers are not to be measured by their ingenuity and their logic but by the completeness of their case analysis.
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A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
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Motto for a research laboratory: what we work on today, others will first think of tomorrow.
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In programming, as in everything else, to be in error is to be reborn.
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To understand a program, you must become both the machine and the program.
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One can only display complex information in the mind. Like seeing, movement or flow or alteration of view is more important than the static picture, no matter how lovely.
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A picture is worth 10K words - but only those to describe the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described with pictures.
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