Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.
Alan PerlisRead
In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word "frustration".
Interpretation
Frustration in computing arises when simple solutions are overlooked or not implemented effectively.
Alan Perlis highlights a common challenge in the realm of computing: the difficulty of transforming obvious ideas into practical solutions. This 'frustration' emerges when straightforward solutions are ignored or when simplicity is overly complicated, underscoring the importance of clarity and efficacy in technological development.
In practice
During a tech conference when discussing software development challenges.
Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.
Because of its vitality, the computing field is always in desperate need of new cliches: Banality soothes our nerves.
It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.
A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
Every reader should ask himself periodically βToward what end, toward what end?ββbut do not ask it too often lest you pass up the fun of programming for the constipation of bittersweet philosophy.
C programmers never die. They are just cast into void.
If we allow our self-congratulatory adoration of technology to distract us from our own contact with each other, then somehow the original agenda has been lost.
Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.
What's great in the modern world is that it's becoming easier and easier for people to create without having access to large sums of money. They need access to certain technologies, but the cost is far less than it used to be.
Even though you can't get along without your smartphone, there are not many essential services on your smartphone. They're mostly convenience; you could live without it. Essential means you die without it. A gadget that warns you're about to have a heart attack - that's essential. We're about to go into that phase with smartphones.
We might possess every technological resource... but if our language is inadequate, our vision remains formless, our thinking and feeling are still running in the old cycles, our process may be 'revolutionary' but not transformative.
In technology, we spend so much time experimenting, fine-tuning, getting the absolute cheapest way to do something - so why aren't we doing that with social policy?
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