Controlling complexity is the essence of computer programming.
Believe the terrain, not the map.
90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.
The most effective debugging tool is still careful thought, coupled with judiciously placed print statements.
Trying to outsmart a compiler defeats much of the purpose of using one.
An effective way to test code is to exercise it at its natural boundaries.
Don’t document bad code – rewrite it.
A good programmer is someone who always looks both ways before crossing a one-way street.
The best programmers are not marginally better than merely good ones. They are an order-of-magnitude better, measured by whatever standard: conceptual creativity, speed, ingenuity of design, or problem-solving ability.
Programming is a Dark Art, and it always will be. The programmer is fighting against the two most destructive forces in the universe: entropy and human stupidity. These are not things you can overcome with a “methodology” or on a schedule.
The programmers of tomorrow are the wizards of the future. You’re going to look like you have magic powers compared to everybody else.
Testing proves a programmer’s failure. Debugging is the programmer’s vindication.
The mark of a mature programmer is willingness to throw out code you spent time on when you realize it’s pointless.
Python is an experiment in how much freedom programmers need. Too much freedom and nobody can read another’s code; too little and expressiveness is endangered.
If it’s not tested, it’s broken.
Most programming languages contain good parts and bad parts. I discovered that I could be better programmer by using only the good parts and avoiding the bad parts.
As a programmer, it is your job to put yourself out of business. What you do today can be automated tomorrow.
Being open source means anyone can independently review the code. If it was closed source, nobody could verify the security. I think it’s essential for a program of this nature to be open source.
Set your sights higher. Don’t think of yourself as a programmer at a specific company – after all, it’s not likely that you’ll be at the same place forever – but as a participating member of an industry. You are a craftsperson or an artist. You have something to share beyond the expense-reporting application you’re developing for your human resources department or the bugs you’ve got stacked up in your company’s issue-tracking system.
Programming isn’t about what you know; it’s about what you can figure out.