ByQuotes

Alan Perlis Quotes

Powerful Alan Perlis for Daily Growth

A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.

- Alan Perlis

Level, Low, Irrelevant, Programming Language

Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.

- Alan Perlis

Some, Suffer, Complexity, Remove

You can measure a programmer's perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.

- Alan Perlis

Measure, Vitality, His, Noting

The best book on programming for the layman is 'Alice in Wonderland'; but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman.

- Alan Perlis

Book, Best, Alice, Wonderland

A picture is worth 10K words - but only those to describe the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described with pictures.

- Alan Perlis

Words, Adequately, Sets, Hardly

One man's constant is another man's variable.

- Alan Perlis

Man, Constant, Another, Variable

The computing field is always in need of new cliches.

- Alan Perlis

New, Computing, Always, Cliches

Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.

- Alan Perlis

Some, Withstand, Languages, Programming

In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.

- Alan Perlis

Would, Languages, Were, Programming

It goes against the grain of modern education to teach students to program. What fun is there to making plans, acquiring discipline, organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be self critical.

- Alan Perlis

Education, Thoughts, Making, Grain

Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble?

- Alan Perlis

Always, Meant, Discarded, Meant To Be

If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.

- Alan Perlis

Your, Listener, Program, Explaining

If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.

- Alan Perlis

Missed, Some, Procedure, Parameters

We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses.

- Alan Perlis

Thoughts, Within, His, Toast

LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of nothing.

- Alan Perlis

Know, Nothing, Cost, Programmers

In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.

- Alan Perlis

Technology, Software, Worm, Early

Every program has two purposes: The one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.

- Alan Perlis

Another, Which, Program, Purposes

In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word 'frustration'.

- Alan Perlis

Computers, Computing, Living, Useful

It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.

- Alan Perlis

Change, Fit, Vice, Vice Versa

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.

- Alan Perlis

Ways, Third, Works, Programs

Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.

- Alan Perlis

Computer, Embarrassed, Computer Science

Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.

- Alan Perlis

Complexity, Follows, Does, Precede

Don't have good ideas if you aren't willing to be responsible for them.

- Alan Perlis

Ideas, Responsible, Willing, Good Ideas

A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.

- Alan Perlis

Science, Year, Spent, Artificial

I think it is inevitable that people program poorly. Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it.

- Alan Perlis

Technology, Think, Poorly

It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.

- Alan Perlis

Than, Incorrect, Correct, Program

If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.

- Alan Perlis

Computers, Computer, Made, Japan

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.