Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.
Alan PerlisRead
A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A well-designed programming language enhances a programmer's ability to think critically about coding tasks.
Alan Perlis highlights the importance of programming languages not just as tools for creating code, but as frameworks that shape a programmer's thinking process. A good programming language provides structure and conceptual clarity, making the complexity of programming more manageable and allowing for innovative solutions to emerge.
Themes
ProgrammingLanguageThinkingConceptualCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a tech conference discussing the future of software development.
More from Alan Perlis
All quotes →Because of its vitality, the computing field is always in desperate need of new cliches: Banality soothes our nerves.
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In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word "frustration".
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It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.
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Every reader should ask himself periodically “Toward what end, toward what end?”—but do not ask it too often lest you pass up the fun of programming for the constipation of bittersweet philosophy.
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C programmers never die. They are just cast into void.
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