The easiest programs to use are those which demand the least new learning from the user

Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow (e.g., given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized quickly and the fix obvious to someone).

Smart data structures and dumb code works a lot better than the other way around.

Of course, C proved indispensible to the developers of all its alternatives. Dig down through enough implementation layers under any of the other languages surveyed here and you will find a core implemented in pure, portable C

You cannot motivate the best people with money. Money is just a way to keep score. The best people in any field are motivated by passion.

Being able to break security doesn't make you a hacker anymore than being able to hotwire cars makes you an automotive engineer.

Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they're much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code.