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.
Interpretation
This quote compares modern software development to the construction of an Egyptian pyramid, highlighting issues of complexity and lack of foundational planning.
Alan Kay's quote uses the metaphor of an Egyptian pyramid to convey a criticism of contemporary software development practices. He suggests that much of today's software is built without proper structural integrity or thoughtful design, relying instead on a massive accumulation of code akin to the bricks of a pyramid that were laid with brute force. This implies that the effectiveness and longevity of such software is questionable, as it may not stand the test of time without a solid foundation.
In practice
Discussing software architecture at a tech conference.
The Internet was done so well that most people think of it as a natural resource like the Pacific Ocean, rather than something that was man-made. When was the last time a technology with a scale like that was so error-free? The Web, in comparison, is a joke. The Web was done by amateurs.
Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.
The greatest single programming language ever designed
By the time I got to school, I had already read a couple hundred books. I knew in the first grade that they were lying to me because I had already been exposed to other points of view. School is basically about one point of view -- the one the teacher has or the textbooks have. They don't like the idea of having different points of view, so it was a battle. Of course I would pipe up with my five-year-old voice.
Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible.
If you're not failing 90% of the time, then you're probably not working on sufficiently challenging problems.
All countries will eventually need to rebuild their growth models around digital technologies and the human capital that supports their deployment and expansion.
I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.
Technological discoveries are the spermatozoa of social change.
It will soon be possible to transmit wireless messages around the world so simply that any individual can carry and operate his own apparatus.
Apps or media who make money on advertising are never satisfied with 'enough' of your attention. They will always fight for more.
One thing about open source is that even the failures contribute to the next thing that comes up. Unlike a company that could spend a million dollars in two years and fail and there's nothing really to show for it, if you spend a million dollars on open source, you probably have something amazing that other people can build on.
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