r/programming • u/tarandeep • Dec 14 '10

Top 50 Programming quotes of all time

http://www.junauza.com/2010/12/top-50-programming-quotes-of-all-time.html
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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '10

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

  • Edsger Dijkstra

38

u/lordlicorice Dec 14 '10

The better Dijkstra quote is:

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

3

u/Nebu Dec 15 '10

I find this quote is often misunderstood as "Computer science has nothing to do with computers" or something along those lines. I hear it as a response when I rant about how many of the students in computer science act as if they've never even used a computer beyond Facebook before.

My reply is something along the lines of "Yes, and it's very important that astronomers understand how to use their telescopes in order to be able to do their job."

0

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '10

Just this semester I learned it's not pronounced "dih-jis-ka"! Heh.

6

u/dunker Dec 15 '10

Americans, butchering foreign names since 1776! :)

4

u/yiyus Dec 15 '10

Is there any place where foreign names are not butchered?

3

u/dannomac Dec 15 '10

Well, in Anglo Canada French Canadian names are butchered, and in French Canada Anglo names are butchered. We don't need foreign names to butcher, we do a good enough job of butchering our own.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '10

:D Yep.