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Computer Quotes

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Computer Quotes

“Most programs are not write-once. They are reworked and rewritten again and again in their lived. Bugs must be debugged. Changing requirements and the need for increased functionality mean the program itself may be modified on an ongoing basis. During this process, human beings must be able to read and understand the original code. It is therefore more important by far for humans to be able to understand the program than it is for the computer.”

Needs Writing Humans May Mean Important Able Process Human Beings Computer Program Bases Originals Code Again And Again Requirements Bugs Ongoing Functionality

Author:Yukihiro Matsumoto

“Suppose aliens invade the earth and threaten to obliterate it in a year's time unless human beings can find the Ramsey number for red five and blue five. We could marshal the world's best minds and fastest computers, and within a year we could probably calculate the value. If the aliens demanded the Ramsey number for red six and blue six, however, we would have no choice but to launch a preemptive attack.”

Ifs World Years Mind Humans Earth Values Choices Human Beings Numbers Five Six Computer Red Blue Aliens

Author:Paul Erdos

“The machinery of destruction is complete, poised on a hair trigger, waiting for the 'button' to be 'pushed' by some misguided or deranged human being or for some faulty computer chip to send out the instruction to fire. That so much should be balanced on so fine a point--that the fruit of four and a half billion years can be undone in a careless moment--is a fact against which belief rebels.”

Source: The Fate of the Earth: And, The Abolition

“Unfortunately, computers are?stupid.Unlike human beings, computers possess the truly profound stupidity of the inanimate.”

Humans Human Beings Stupid Computer Profound Stupidity

Author:Bruce Sterling

“So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot named Pete Something-or-other, which has come out of a General Electric factory, and to his surprise see it weep and bleed. And the dying robot may shoot back and, to its surprise, see a wisp of gray smoke arise from the electric pump that it supposed was Mr. White's beating heart. It would be rather a great moment of truth for both of them.”

Source: The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: Selected Literary and Philosophical Writings

“The archetype of all humans, their ideal image, is the computer, once it has liberated itself from its creator, man. The computeris the essence of the human being. In the computer, man reaches his completion.”

Men Humans Human Beings Evolution Computer Ideals Essence Creator Liberated Completion Archetype

Author:Friedrich Durrenmatt

“Some Socialists seem to believe that people should be numbers in a State computer. We believe they should be individuals. We are all unequal. No one, thank heavens, is like anyone else, however much the Socialists may pretend otherwise. We believe that everyone has the right to be unequal but to us every human being is equally important.”

People Should Believe Humans May Important States Seems Individual Heaven Human Beings Numbers Computer

Book:Let our children grow tall: selected speeches, 1975-1977

Source: Let our children grow tall: selected speeches, 1975-1977

“Scientists in California have discovered a chemical in the brain that causes use of Windows in otherwise normal human beings. It's called alcohol.”

Humans Use Causes Human Beings Brain Normal Computer Window Scientist Alcohol California Chemicals

Author:David Pogue

“Looking at virtual reality through computer screens, video game screens, and above all television screens is a denial of personality development. It's a denial of socialization, of expansion of vocabulary, of interaction with real human beings.”

“It is important to remember that when it comes to law, computers never make copies, only human beings make copies. Computers are given commands, not permission. Only people can be given permission.”

People Humans Important Remember Law Given Human Beings Computer Command Copies Permission Command Not

Author:Brad Templeton

“I am confident that we can do better than GUIs because the basic problem with them (and with the Linux and Unix interfaces) is that they ask a human being to do things that we know experimentally humans cannot do well. The question I asked myself is, given everything we know about how the human mind works, could we design a computer and computer software so that we can work with the least confusion and greatest efficiency?”

Knows Mind Humans Wells Problem Asks Given Can Do Human Beings Design Computer Confusion Human Mind Software Efficiency Linux Interfaces Unix Computer Software

Author:Jef Raskin

“What distinguishes a human being from a computer? The ability to add up numbers? The ability to understand language? The ability to be logical? It is, of course, none of the above. It is the ability to play. Computers cannot have fun. They cannot fantasize. They cannot dream, they cannot experience emotion or summon intuition. These rare, precious qualities come naturally to every child on this earth yet they tend to be seen, by well meaning adults, as faults, foibles and failings. In pushing tiny toddlers to 'perform', we rob them of the ability to imagine.”

“Where do you draw the line as a human being? Written record is only, what, a couple thousand years? And this scientific revolution is less than a hundred years. And computers only a few decades! We've changed so much. It's amazing, the speed of changes.”

Years Humans Lines Human Beings Records Written Changed Revolution Couple Thousand Computer Draws Hundred Speed Decades Thousand Years Scientific Revolution

Author:Hiroshi Sugimoto

“Let us change our traditional attitude to the construction of programs. Instead of imagining that our main task is to instruct a computer what to do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a computer to do.”

Want Humans Change Human Beings Attitude Learning Computer Program Tasks Simplicity Traditional Programming Software Construction Explaining Computer Programming Programming Languages Computer Language

Author:Donald Knuth

“The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.”

Humans Ends Problem Language Human Beings Technology Communication Computer Relation Speed Compounds Communicators Digital Technology Internet Technology Communication Problems

Author:Edward R. Murrow

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

“Ford carried on counting quietly. This is about the most aggressive thing you can do to a computer, the equivalent of going up to a human being and saying "Blood...blood...blood...blood...”

Humans Can Do Human Beings Blood Computer Aggressive Counting

Book:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Source: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy