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It used to be the program's purpose to instruct our computers it became the computer's purpose to execute our programs.

Edsger Dijkstra

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Edsger Dijkstra
Age: 72 †
Born: 1930
Born: May 11
Died: 2002
Died: August 5
Computer Scientist
Engineer
Mathematician
Physicist
Scientist
University Teacher
R'dam
Edsger Dijkstra
Edsger Wybe Dijkstra
Dijkstra
EWD
E.W. Dijkstra
Computer
Purpose
Used
Instruct
Execute
Computers
Programs
Program
Became

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APL is a mistake, carried through to perfection.
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Probably I am very naive, but I also think I prefer to remain so, at least for the time being and perhaps for the rest of my life.
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Mentally mutilated potential programmers beyond hope of regeneration.
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In their capacity as a tool, computers will be but a ripple on the surface of our culture. In their capacity as intellectual challenge, they are without precedent in the cultural history of mankind.
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Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.
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Beauty is our business.
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A most important, but also most elusive, aspect of any tool is its influence on the habits of those who train themselves in its use. If the tool is a programming language this influence is, whether we like it or not, an influence on our thinking habits.... A programming language is a tool that has profound influence on our thinking habits.
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The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity.
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The use of COBOL cripples the mind its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.
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The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about programs independently of their being executed.
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Thank goodness we don't have only serious problems, but ridiculous ones as well.
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Don't compete with me: firstly, I have more experience, and secondly, I have chosen the weapons.
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Experience does by no means automatically leads to wisdom and understanding.
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If in physics there's something you don't understand, you can always hide behind the uncharted depths of nature. You can always blame God. You didn't make it so complex yourself. But if your program doesn't work, there is no one to hide behind. You cannot hide behind an obstinate nature. If it doesn't work, you've messed up.
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Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code.
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If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in.
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We must be very careful when we give advice to younger people sometimes they follow it!
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The effective exploitation of his powers of abstraction must be regarded as one of the most vital activities of a competent programmer.
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Production speed is severely slowed down if one works with half-time people who have other obligations as well. This is at least a factor of four probably it is worse.
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I mean, if 10 years from now, when you are doing something quick and dirty, you suddenly visualize that I am looking over your shoulders and say to yourself Dijkstra would not have liked this, well, that would be enough immortality for me.
Edsger Dijkstra