Quote

Many computer scientists have fallen into the trap of trying to define languages like George Orwell's Newspeak, in which it is impossible to think bad thoughts. What they end up doing is killing the creativity of programming.

Larry Wall

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Larry Wall
Age: 69
Born: 1954
Born: September 27
Computer Scientist
Engineer
Linguist
Programmer
Writer
LA
California
TimToady
Larry Arnold Wall
Language
George
Newspeak
Ends
Fallen
Orwell
Many
Scientist
Trap
Trying
Killing
Traps
Think
Computer
Languages
Thinking
Creativity
Programming
Like
Thoughts
Scientists
Impossible
Define

More quotes by Larry Wall

Image
Well, you know, Hubbard had a bunch of people sworn to commit suicide when he died. So of course he never officially died.
Larry Wall
Image
That which hits the fan tends to get flung in all directions.
Larry Wall
Image
Many days I don't write any code at all, and some days I spend all day writing code.
Larry Wall
Image
Perl is worse than Python because people wanted it worse.
Larry Wall
Image
The young think they are immortal, and are determined to prove otherwise.
Larry Wall
Image
I think I'm likely to be certified before Perl is.
Larry Wall
Image
I've had to learn kind of sense when the questions would be coming and be ready to handle them. There's a lot of education and reiteration that happens on these online channels and sometimes it's tempting to just say, Well, just go and read the documentation, but you know, people appreciate being led along and taught and mentored.
Larry Wall
Image
Doing linear scans over an associative array is like trying to club someone to death with a loaded Uzi.
Larry Wall
Image
For me, writing is a love-hate relationship.
Larry Wall
Image
Basically there's just so much stuff flowing past on the internet now, you have to let most of it go. And I've grown accustomed to the process of not worrying too much about the stuff I'm not getting to, because the important stuff will come back around.
Larry Wall
Image
Programmers can be lazy.
Larry Wall
Image
It's appositival, if it's there. And it doesn't have to be there. And it's really obvious that it's there when it's there.
Larry Wall
Image
I'd make people say 'use Fork' if I thought I could get away with it.
Larry Wall
Image
Computer programming is really a lot like writing a recipe. If you've read a recipe, you know what the structure of a recipe is, it's got some things up at the top that are your ingredients, and below that, the directions for how to deal with those ingredients.
Larry Wall
Image
It's easier to make up sayings people like to hear than sayings they like to heed.
Larry Wall
Image
I talked about becoming stupid, but I've always been stupid. Fortunately I've been just smart enough to realize that I'm stupid.
Larry Wall
Image
Perl was designed to work more like a natural language. It's a little more complicated but there are more shortcuts, and once you learned the language, it's more expressive.
Larry Wall
Image
Hubris itself will not let you be an artist.
Larry Wall
Image
I think it's a new feature. Don't tell anyone it was an accident.
Larry Wall
Image
Over the long term, symbiosis is more useful than parasitism. More fun, too. Ask any mitochondria.
Larry Wall