Best programming and hacker quotes. Ever.
Curated by fellow hackers Jarmo Pertman & Andri Möll
I think there's a world market for about five computers.
Thomas J Watson Senior, 1945
The computer is the ultimate polluter: its feces are indistinguish- able from the food it produces.
Alan J. Perlis
In my experience, one of the most significant problems in software development is assuming. If you assume a method will passed the right parameter value, the method will fail.
Paul M. Duvall
It’s hard to read through a book on the principles of magic without glancing at the cover periodically to make sure it isn’t a book on software design.
Bruce Tognazzini
Most software today is very much like an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force and thousands of slaves.
Alan Kay
All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer.
IBM Manual, 1925
...basically, avoid comments. If your code needs a comment to be understood, it would be better to rewrite it so it's easier to understand.
Rob Pike
A good programmer looks both ways before crossing a one-way street.
Anonymous
The competent programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull. He therefore approaches his task with full humility, and avoids clever tricks like the plague.
Edsger Dijkstra
Any sufficiently well-documented lisp program contains an ML program in its comments.
Anonymous