Quotes by Niklaus Wirth - Page 1

C++ is an insult to the human brain
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Brain
Human Brain
Insult
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Go To statement considered harmful.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
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Programming is usually taught by examples.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Example
Programming
Taught
Examples
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I have never designed a language for its own sake.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Language
Sake
Designed
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Prolific programmers contribute to certain disaster.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Certain
Disaster
Programming
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Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Faster
Programming
Software
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My duty as a teacher is to train, educate future programmers.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Education
Teacher
Duty
Educate
Programmers
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Program construction consists of a sequence of refinement steps.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Construction
Program
Refinement
Sequence
Steps
Consists
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Software development is technical activity conducted by human beings.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Activity
Development
Human Beings
Humans
Software
Beings
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Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Faster
Hardware
Software
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Programs should be written and polished until they acquire publication quality.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Code Quality
Program
Should
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Reliable and transparent programs are usually not in the interest of the designer.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Designer
Interest
Program
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It is evidently necessary to generate and test candidates for solutions in some systematic manner.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Candidates
Solutions
Systematic
Tests
Evidently
Generate
Manner
Test
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But active programming consists of the design of new programs, rather than contemplation of old programs.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Design
Active
Contemplation
Program
Programming
Consists
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Experience shows that the success of a programming course critically depends on the choice of these examples.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Experience
Choices
Depends
Example
Programming
Choice
Critically
Examples
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A primary cause of complexity is that software vendors uncritically adopt almost any feature that users want.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Causes
Vendors
Want
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A good designer must rely on experience, on precise, logic thinking; and on pedantic exactness. No magic will do.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Death
Experience
Design
Designer
Logic
Magic
Pedantic
Precise
Rely
Thinking
Must
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During the process of stepwise refinement, a notation which is natural to the problem in hand should be used as long as possible.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Hands
Long
Problem
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The possible solutions to a given problem emerge as the leaves of a tree, each node representing a point of deliberation and decision.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Decision
Deliberation
Given
Problem
Representing
Solutions
Tree
Possible
Each
Emerge
Leaves
Point
Possible Solutions
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Time pressure gradually corrupts an engineer's standard of quality and perfection. It has a detrimental effect on people as well as products
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Code Quality
People
Perfection
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In the practical world of computing, it is rather uncommon that a program, once it performs correctly and satisfactorily, remains unchanged forever.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Computers
Computer
Computing
Forever
Program
Remains
World
Correctly
Performs
Practical
Rather
Unchanged
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Indeed, the woes of Software Engineering are not due to lack of tools, or proper management, but largely due to lack of sufficient technical competence.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Competence
Engineering
Management
Software
Sufficient
Tools
Woe
Due
Indeed
Largely
Proper
Woes
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Our ultimate goal is extensible programming. By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Goal
Hierarchy
Mean
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The idea that one might derive satisfaction from his or her successful work, because that work is ingenious, beautiful, or just pleasing, has become ridiculed.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Work
Beautiful
Ingenious
Satisfaction
Successful
Derive
Pleasing
Ridiculed
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Increasingly, people seem to misinterpret complexity as sophistication, which is baffling -- the incomprehensible should cause suspicion rather than admiration.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Admiration
Causes
People
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Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster. (Or, sometimes known by] Grove [the head of Intel] giveth and Gates [the head of Microsoft] taketh away.)
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Learning
Microsoft
Sometimes
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Good engineering is characterized by gradual, stepwise refinement of products that yields increased performance under given constraints and with given resources.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Engineering
Resources
Yield
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Our ultimate goal is extensible programming (EP). By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Construction
Functionality
Programming
Ultimate
Ultimate Goal
Adding
Hierarchies
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Many people tend to look at programming styles and languages like religions: if you belong to one, you cannot belong to others. But this analogy is another fallacy.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Fallacy
Looks
People
Programming
Style
Analogy
Belong
Languages
Religions
Styles
Tend
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Usually its users discover sooner or later that their program does not deliver all the desired results, or worse, that the results requested were not the ones really needed.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Doe
Program
Results
Sooner Or Later
Users
Sooner
Deliver
Desired
Discover
Worse
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Clearly, programming courses should teach methods of design and construction, and the selected examples should be such that a gradual development can be nicely demonstrated.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Design
Construction
Courses
Development
Example
Programming
Selected
Teach
Clearly
Examples
Gradual
Nicely
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But quality of work can be expected only through personal satisfaction, dedication and enjoyment. In our profession, precision and perfection are not a dispensable luxury, but a simple necessity.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Work
Dedication
Simple
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But quality of work can be expected only through personal satisfaction, dedication and enjoyment. In our profession, precision and perfection are not a dispensible luxury, but a simple necessity.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Quality
Work
Dedication
Enjoyment
Expected
Luxury
Perfection
Personal Satisfaction
Precision
Profession
Satisfaction
Simple
Through
Necessity
Personal
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Nevertheless, I consider OOP as an aspect of programming in the large; that is, as an aspect that logically follows programming in the small and requires sound knowledge of procedural programming.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Aspect
Nevertheless
Programming
Sound
Follows
Logically
Procedural
Requires
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Whereas Europeans generally pronounce my name the right way ('Ni-klows Wirt'), Americans invariably mangle it into 'Nick-les Worth'. This is to say that Europeans call me by name, but Americans call me by value.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Call Me
Names
Way
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My being a teacher had a decisive influence on making language and systems as simple as possible so that in my teaching, I could concentrate on the essential issues of programming rather than on details of language and notation.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Teacher
Details
Influence
Programming
Simple
Teaching
Decisive
Essential
Notation
Systems
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The belief that complex systems require armies of designers and programmers is wrong. A system that is not understood in its entirety, or at least to a significant degree of detail by a single individual, should probably not be built.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Army
Degrees
Details
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I am convinced that there is a need for high quality software, and the time will come when it will be recognized that it is worth investing effort in its development and in using a careful, structured approach based on safe, structured languages.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Quality
Time
Effort
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Yet, I am convinced that there is a need for high quality software, and the time will come when it will be recognized that it is worth investing effort in its development and in using a careful, structured approach based on safe, structured languages.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Approach
Careful
Convinced
Development
Effort
Investing
Safe
Software
Languages
Time Effort I Am
Recognized
Structured
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Professors typically spend their time in meetings about planning, policy, proposals, fund-raising, consulting, interviewing, traveling, and so forth, but spend relatively little time at their drawing boards. As a result, they lose touch with the substance of their rapidly developing subject. They lose the ability to design; they lose sight of what is essential; and they resign themselves to teach academically challenging puzzles.
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Design
Drawing
Sight
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Complexity has and will maintain a strong fascination for many people. It is true that we live in a complex world and strive to solve inherently complex problems, which often do require complex mechanisms. However, this should not diminish our desire for elegant solutions, which convince by their clarity and effectiveness. Simple, elegant solutions are more effective, but they are harder to find than complex ones, and they require more time, which we too often believe to be unaffordable
Niklaus Wirth / Computer Scientist
Learning
Believe
Strong
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Niklaus Wirth Quotes - Page 1

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