FORTRAN --'the infantile disorder'--, by now nearly 20 years old, is hopelessly inadequate for whatever computer application you have in read more

FORTRAN --'the infantile disorder'--, by now nearly 20 years old, is hopelessly inadequate for whatever computer application you have in mind today: it is now too clumsy, too risky, and too expensive to use.
PL/I --'the fatal disease'-- belongs more to the problem set than to the solution set.
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.
The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offence.
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.

We seem to have a compulsion these days to bury time capsules in order to give those people living in read more

We seem to have a compulsion these days to bury time capsules in order to give those people living in the next century or so some idea of what we are like.

What is research, but a blind date with knowledge.

What is research, but a blind date with knowledge.

The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can read more

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.

When you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research.

When you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research.

Half of the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except that the birds might eat them.

Half of the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except that the birds might eat them.

Men have become the tools of their tools.

Men have become the tools of their tools.

The tools we use have a profound (and devious!) influence on our thinking habits, and, therefore, on our thinking abilities.

The tools we use have a profound (and devious!) influence on our thinking habits, and, therefore, on our thinking abilities.

When the lay public rallies round to an idea that is denounced by distinguished by elderly scientists and supports the read more

When the lay public rallies round to an idea that is denounced by distinguished by elderly scientists and supports the idea with great fervour and emotion, the distinguished but elderly scientests are then, after all, right. -Isaac Asimov.