How do we convince people that in programming simplicity and clarity - in short: what mathematicians call elegance - are not a dispensable luxury, but a crucial matter that decides between success and failure?
Edsger DijkstraThanks to the greatly improved possibility of communication, we overrate its importance. Even stronger, we underrate the importance of isolation.
Edsger DijkstraSimplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better.
Edsger DijkstraSimplicity and elegance are unpopular because they require hard work and discipline to achieve and education to be appreciated.
Edsger Dijkstra… what society overwhelmingly asks for is snake oil. Of course, the snake oil has the most impressive names — otherwise you would be selling nothing — like “Structured Analysis and Design”, “Software Engineering”, “Maturity Models”, “Management Information Systems”, “Integrated Project Support Environments” “Object Orientation” and “Business Process Re-engineering”.
Edsger Dijkstra