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In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.

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
Would
Languages
Programming
English
Word
Language
Every

More quotes by Alan Perlis

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We are on the verge: Today our program proved Fermat's next-to-last theorem.
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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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We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.
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When a professor insists computer science is X but not Y, have compassion for his graduate students.
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Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.
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A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing.
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In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.
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If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.
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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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Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon.
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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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There are two ways to write error-free programs only the third one works.
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A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming is not worth knowing.
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Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
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A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
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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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Any noun can be verbed.
Alan Perlis
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If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.
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In man-machine symbiosis, it is man who must adjust: The machines can't.
Alan Perlis
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It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
Alan Perlis