Dijkstra is a wonderful source of memorable quotes and hot takes from the early days of software.
A sampling:
> “The competent programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull. He therefore approaches his task with full humility, and avoids clever tricks like the plague.” (Dijkstra, 1972)
> “The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.” (Dijkstra, 1982)
> “Object-oriented programming is an exceptionally bad idea which could only have originated in California.” (Dijkstra, 1989)
A sampling:
> “The competent programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull. He therefore approaches his task with full humility, and avoids clever tricks like the plague.” (Dijkstra, 1972)
> “The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.” (Dijkstra, 1982)
> “Object-oriented programming is an exceptionally bad idea which could only have originated in California.” (Dijkstra, 1989)