Edsger Dijkstra

Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#about #astronomy #computer #computer science #more

The competent programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull. He therefore approaches his task with full humility, and avoids clever tricks like the plague. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#avoids #aware #clever #competent #full

Elegance is not a dispensable luxury but a factor that decides between success and failure. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#decides #dispensable #elegance #factor #failure

Many mathematicians derive part of their self-esteem by feeling themselves the proud heirs of a long tradition of rational thinking; I am afraid they idealize their cultural ancestors. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#am #ancestors #cultural #derive #feeling

Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence! ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#bugs #never #presence #program #show

Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#reliability #simplicity

About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do it with ten blunt axes instead. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#axe #axes #blunt #equally #impossible

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#avoiding #brevity #jargon #while

APL is a mistake, carried through to perfection. It is the language of the future for the programming techniques of the past: it creates a new generation of coding bums. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#carried #coding #creates #future #generation

It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration. ↗

— Edsger Dijkstra

#beyond #exposure #good #had #hope