Alan Perlis

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

— Alan Perlis

#every #program #purposes #two #which

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

— Alan Perlis

#head #him #his #listener #nods

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

— Alan Perlis

#parameters #probably #procedure #some #you

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

— Alan Perlis

#computer #english #japan #made #probably

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

— Alan Perlis

#every #languages #our #programming #were

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

#anything #bubble #discarded #else #like

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

— Alan Perlis

#easier #fit #program #than #versa

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

— Alan Perlis

#easier #incorrect #program #than #understand

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

— Alan Perlis

#everything #know #lisp #nothing #programmers

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

— Alan Perlis

#constant #man #variable