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I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one's contributions to computer science.

Donald Knuth

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Donald Knuth
Age: 86
Born: 1938
Born: January 10
Academic
Computer Scientist
Engineer
Historian Of Mathematics
Mathematician
Programmer
University Teacher
Writer
Milwaukee City
Wisconsin
Donald E. Knuth
Don Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth
D.E.K.
DEK
Knuth
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Algorithms

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We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil.
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The designer of a new kind of system must participate fully in the implementation.
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People think that computer science is the art of geniuses but the actual reality is the opposite, just many people doing things that build on each other, like a wall of mini stones.
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Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind.
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Science is knowledge which we understand so well that we can teach it to a computer and if we don't fully understand something, it is an art to deal with it.
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People who are more than casually interested in computers should have at least some idea of what the underlying hardware is like. Otherwise the programs they write will be pretty weird.
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My general working style is to write everything first with pencil and paper, sitting beside a big wastebasket. Then I use Emacs to enter the text into my machine.
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The sun comes up just about as often as it goes down, in the long run, but this doesn't make its motion random.
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I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.
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The enjoyment of one's tools is an essential ingredient of successful work.
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TeX has found at least one bug in every Pascal compiler it's been run on, I think, and at least two in every C compiler
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The most important thing in the programming language is the name. A language will not succeed without a good name. I have recently invented a very good name and now I am looking for a suitable language.
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I've never been a good estimator of how long things are going to take.
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I try to learn certain areas of computer science exhaustively then I try to digest that knowledge into a form that is accessible to people who don't have time for such study.
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I'm obsessively detail-oriented.
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The manuals we got from IBM would show examples of programs and I knew I could do a heck of a lot better than that. So I thought I might have some talent.
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A list is only as strong as its weakest link.
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It is much more rewarding to do more with less.
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Computer programming is an art, because it applies accumulated knowledge to the world, because it requires skill and ingenuity, and especially because it produces objects of beauty. A programmer who subconsciously views himself as an artist will enjoy what he does and will do it better.
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I define UNIX as 30 definitions of regular expressions living under one roof.
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