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- {fon:homFF5599}
- PD Textfiles
- {fon:tri}
-
- The following article is made up of snippits from various PD
- textfiles, where possible the Author has been credited, the disc
- numbers have also been included so that you can get the full versions
- of the text files.
-
- {spr:l00}
-
- Name: Programmers
- Author: Unknown
- Disc no.: APDL, B220
-
- "All programmers are optimists. Perhaps this modern sorcery
- especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy
- godmothers. Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive away
- all but those who habitually focus on the end goal. Perhaps it is
- merely that computers are young, programmers are younger, and the
- young are always optimists. But however the selection process works,
- the result is indisputable: 'This time it will surely run,' or 'I
- just found the last bug.'"
- Frederick Brooks, Jr., The Mythical Man Month
-
- "Computers are the most fun you can have with anything that isn't
- breathing."
- Bruce Walker, CACM Forum
-
- "Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy."
- Joseph Campbell
-
- "First learn computer science and all the theory. Next develop a
- programming style. Then forget all that and just hack."
- George Carrette [1990]
-
-
- "Software suppliers are trying to make their software packages more
- 'user-friendly'... Their best approach, so far, has been to take all
- the old brochures, and stamp the words, 'user-friendly' on the
- cover."
- Bill Gates, Pres., Microsoft, Inc.
-
- PROGRAMMER: (n) Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of
- conversing with inanimate objects.
-
- Name: Real Programmers Don't Eat Quiche
- Author: Unknown
- Disc no.: APDL, B219
-
- -Real Programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write,
- it should be hard to understand and harder to modify.
- -Real Programmers don't document. Documentation is for simpletons
- who can't read listings or the object code from the dump.
- -Real Programmers don't read manuals. Reliance on a reference manual
- is the hallmark of the novice and the coward.
- -Real Programmers' programs never work right the first time. But if
- you throw them on the machine they can be patched into working order
- in "only a few" 30-hour debugging sessions.
- -Real Programmers don't believe in schedules. Planners make up
- schedules. Managers "firm up" schedules. Frightened coders strive to
- meet schedules. Real Programmers ignore schedules. (AMEN!)
- -Real Programmers don't bring brown bag lunches. If the vending
- machine sells it, they eat it. If the vending machine doesn't sell
- it, they don't eat it. Vending machines don't sell quiche.
-
- Name: UNIX Hoax
- Author: Bernard L. Hayes
- Disc no.: APDL, B219
-
- CREATORS ADMIT UNIX, C HOAX
-
- In an announcement that has stunned the computer industry, Ken
- Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan admitted that the Unix
- operating system and C programming language created by them is an
- elaborate April Fools prank kept alive for over 20 years.
- "for(;P("\n"),R-;P("|"))for(e=C;e-;P("_"+(*u++/8)%2))P("|
- "+(*u/4)%2); To think that modern programmers would try to use a
- language that allowed such a statement was beyond our comprehension!
- We actually thought of selling this to the Soviets to set their
- computer science progress back 20 or more years. Imagine our
- surprise when AT&T and other US corporations actually began trying
- to use Unix and C! It has taken them 20 years to develop enough
- expertise to generate even marginally useful applications using this
- 1960's technological parody, but we are impressed with the tenacity
- (if not common sense) of the general Unix and C programmer. In any
- event, Brian, Dennis and I have been working exclusively in Pascal
- on the Apple Macintosh for the past few years and feel really guilty
- about the chaos, confusion and truly bad programming that have
- resulted from our silly prank so long ago."
-
- {end}
-