Alan Perlis (1922 – 1990)
American computer scientist known for his pioneering work in programming languages, most notably as a member of the team that developed the ALGOL programming language.
41: Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.
116: You think you know when you learn, are more sure when you can write, even more when you can teach, but certain when you can program.
11: If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.
I think it is inevitable that people program poorly. Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it.
8: A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
75: The computing field is always in need of new cliches: Banality sooths our nerves.
80: Prolonged contact with the computer turns mathematicians into clerks and vice versa.