I think it is interesting that you left out the very next few sentences, which provide very relevant context:
"I see a great future for very systematic and very modest programming languages. When I say “modest”, I mean that, for instance, not only ALGOL 60’s “for clause”, but even FORTRAN’s “DO loop” may find themselves thrown out as being too baroque."
While I agree with the general sentiment, it's very important to take anything Dijkstra says with a huge grain of salt. He was a mathematician first and foremost. He obsessed about things like a mathematician. Such people, while very smart, make for very unproductive software engineers. They also have a way of sounding deceptively smart and thoughtful, when really they're just talking out of their ass. Beware.
"I see a great future for very systematic and very modest programming languages. When I say “modest”, I mean that, for instance, not only ALGOL 60’s “for clause”, but even FORTRAN’s “DO loop” may find themselves thrown out as being too baroque."
While I agree with the general sentiment, it's very important to take anything Dijkstra says with a huge grain of salt. He was a mathematician first and foremost. He obsessed about things like a mathematician. Such people, while very smart, make for very unproductive software engineers. They also have a way of sounding deceptively smart and thoughtful, when really they're just talking out of their ass. Beware.