Best Computer Programmers Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“Real programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.”

Ifs Should Writing Real Hard Code Programming Comment Programmers Computer Programming Programming Languages Computer Language Computer Programmers Writing Code

Author:Tom Van Vleck

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

“The cheapest, fastest, and most reliable components are those that aren't there.”

Programming Software Engineering Components Programmers Computer Programming Software Engineering Software Design Computer Programmers Computer Software Simplicity In Design Programming Funny

Author:Gordon Bell

“I realized that a large part of my life from then on was going to be spent in finding mistakes in my own programs.”

My Own Mistake Findings Program I Realized Programming Programmers Computer Programming Programming Languages Computer Language Computer Programmers Funny Computer Programming Funny Debugging Coders

Author:Maurice Wilkes

“Computer programmers, biotechnologists, environmental scientists, neuroscientists, nanotech engineers - all of these fields, and more, should have at least a course in ethics as part of their degree requirements.”

Should Courses Fields Degrees Computer Ethics Should Have Scientist Environmental Engineers Requirements Programmers Computer Programmers

Author:Jamais Cascio

“On every full moon, rituals ... take place on hilltops, beaches, in open fields and in ordinary houses. Writers, teachers, nurses, computer programmers, artists, lawyers, poets, plumbers, and auto mechanics -- women and men from many backgrounds come together to celebrate the mysteries of the Triple Goddess of the Dance of Life. The religion they practice is called Witchcraft.”

Source: Spiral Dance: Slipcase

“This is how many people become artists, musicians, writers, computer programmers, record-holding athletes, scientists... by spending time alone practicing what they love.”

People Artist Records Computer Musician Scientist Athlete Spending Programmers Me Alone Spending Time Alone Time Computer Programmers Spending Time Alone

Author:Meg Cabot

“I'm always thinking about songs, I'm thinking of life maybe a little bit more lyrically than a computer programmer or someone like that.”

Thinking Littles Song Bits Computer Little Bit Programmers Always Thinking Computer Programmers

Author:Jon Foreman

“I used to want to be a computer programmer when I was younger. We got an Apple II Plus when I was, like, 11 and I wrote programs and BASIC on that, like I think a lot of people did, but I have no idea how to program in the current languages at all.”

People Thinking Want Ideas Used Language Computer Program Currents No Idea Apples Plus Programmers Computer Programmers

Author:Chris Parnell

“I didn't realize how good I was with technology until I met my parents... my dad told me "You're good; you should be a computer programmer." I said, "You're bad... you should be a caveman."”

Should Said Humor Funny Parent Realizing Technology Dad Mets Computer My Dad Programmers Computer Programmers

Author:Mike Birbiglia

“When in doubt, use brute force.”

Use Force Doubt Programming Brutes Programmers Computer Programming When In Doubt Brute Force Computer Programmers

Author:Ken Thompson

“I think that computer programming shows in my writing. Often when I write about computer programmers I'll write about the way that they see the world and they structure the world.”

Thinking World Way Writing Shows Computer Structure Programming Programmers Computer Programming Computer Programmers

Author:Walter Mosley

“Know what you're talking about.”

Source: All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings

“In fact, there are autism clusters, you know, around some of the big tech centers. You take two socially awkward computer programmers and put them together, that can kind of concentrate the autistic genes.”

Knows Kind Two Facts Bigs Together Computer Genes Awkward Autism Programmers Autistic Computer Programmers Clusters Socially Awkward

Author:Temple Grandin

“When we look at these historical women and what they've gone through, it's shocking to recognize some of our own experiences in theirs. When you look at someone like Ada Lovelace who is the first computer programmer, during her lifetime doctors said that was really sick because she was trying to use a masculine kind of brain that she didn't have. Today, her legacy of being the first programmer is stil disputed.”

Trying Firsts Looks Kind Said Use Today Brain Gone Computer Doctors Sick Historical Lifetime Legacy Shocking Masculine Programmers Computer Programmers Ada

Author:Anita Sarkeesian

“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.”

“I think once the artistic world of the type designer merged with the scientific world of the computer programmer, you began to see this crossover.”

Thinking World Type Computer Artistic Designer Programmers Computer Programmers Crossover

Author:Michael Bierut

“Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.”

Computer Code Programming Software Testing Bugs Funny Inspirational Programmers Computer Programming Computer Science Programming Languages Computer Language Software Engineering Computer Programmers Computer Software Funny Computer Programming Funny Computer Hacking

Author:Donald Knuth

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

Language Levels Attention Lows Program Programming Irrelevant Programmers Computer Programming Computer Science Programming Languages Computer Language Computer Programmers Low Level

Author:Alan Perlis

“Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.”

Thinking Wells Problem Business Intelligent Complexes Programming Problem Solving Computer Programming Computer Programmers Solved Problems Undecided Complex Problems Highly Intelligent Business Problems

Author:Laurence J. Peter

“Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done.”

Needs Done Work Technology Easier Computer Witty Programming Programmers Information Technology Hardware Computer Programmers Computer Technology Computer Software Funny Computer Computer Systems Computer Hacking

Author:Andy Rooney

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”

“One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.”

Lines Computer Productivity Code Programming Productive Software Throwing Programmers Computer Programming Computer Science Great Day Computer Programmers Throwing Away Computer Software Programming Funny

Author:Ken Thompson

“Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window.”

Technology Computer Window Programming Programmers Computer Programming Never Trust Computer Programmers Computer Technology

Author:Steve Wozniak

“Know what you are talking about.”

“The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim.”

Thinking Technology Computer Programming Swim Programmers Computer Programming Computer Science Software Engineering Submarines Computer Programmers Funny Computer

Author:Edsger Dijkstra

“That's the thing about people who think they hate computers. What they really hate is lousy programmers.”

People Thinking Hate Technology Computer Program Programming Software Programmers Computer Programming Software Engineering Computer Programmers Computer Software

Author:Larry Niven

“Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.”

Learning Tongue Mathematical Programming Native Assets Mastery Inclination Competent Programmers Computer Programming Programming Languages Computer Language Computer Programmers

Book:Selected Writings on Computing: A personal Perspective

Source: Selected Writings on Computing: A personal Perspective

“Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law”

Law Research Accounts Productivity Programming Favourite Programmers Programming Languages Computer Programmers Software Development Programming Funny

Author:Douglas Hofstadter

“Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight.”

“The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.”

“C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do it blows your whole leg off.”

“There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult.”

“Computers are like bikinis. They save people a lot of guesswork.”

People Technology Computer Programming Programmers Computer Programming Bikinis Computer Programmers Guesswork

Author:Sam Ewing

“The trouble with programmers is that you can never tell what a programmer is doing until it's too late.”

“The best way to prepare [to be a programmer] is to write programs, and to study great programs that other people have written. In my case, I went to the garbage cans at the Computer Science Center and I fished out listings of their operating systems.”

“If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in.”

“Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter.”

Technology Study Computer Painter Code Experts Programming Brushes Programmers Computer Programming Computer Science Computer Programmers Pigment Science Education

Author:Eric S. Raymond

“For a long time it puzzled me how something so expensive, so leading edge, could be so useless. And then it occurred to me that a computer is a stupid machine with the ability to do incredibly smart things, while computer programmers are smart people with the ability to do incredibly stupid things. They are, in short, a perfect match.”

“Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are three, of course: laziness, impatience, and hubris.”

“The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can be created in the form of computer programs.”

Form Universe Technology Computer Program Responsible Creator Complexity Unlimited Programmers Computer Programmers

Author:Joseph Weizenbaum

“Should array indices start at 0 or 1? My compromise of 0.5 was rejected without, I thought, proper consideration.”

Should Technology Computer Compromise Programming Consideration Software Rejected Funny Inspirational Programmers Computer Programming Programming Languages Computer Language Software Engineering Software Design Computer Programmers Computer Software

Author:Stan Kelly-Bootle

“Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.”

Source: Refactoring: Ruby Edition

“The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents.”

“The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind-computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands.The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind-creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers.These people-artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers-will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”

Source: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“A distributed system is one in which the failure of a computer you didn't even know existed can render your own computer unusable.”

Knows Technology Failure Computer Programming Distribution Programmers Computer Science Computing Rendering Computer Programmers

Author:Leslie Lamport

“As soon as we started programming, we found to our surprise that it wasn't as easy to get programs right as we had thought. Debugging had to be discovered. I can remember the exact instant when I realized that a large part of my life from then on was going to be spent in finding mistakes in my own programs.”

“Complexity kills. It sucks the life out of developers, it makes products difficult to plan, build and test, it introduces security challenges, and it causes end-user and administrator frustration.”

“It has been said that the great scientific disciplines are examples of giants standing on the shoulders of other giants. It has also been said that the software industry is an example of midgets standing on the toes of other midgets.”

Has Beens Said Technology Example Industry Discipline Computer Standing Shoulders Giants Programming Software Toes Programmers Computer Programming Computer Programmers Midget Computer Software

Author:Alan Cooper

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Computer Programmers Quotes