Donald Knuth
Donald Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuthis an American computer scientist, mathematician, and professor emeritus at Stanford University...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMathematician
Date of Birth10 January 1938
CountryUnited States of America
evil premature root
Premature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming.
achievement both complexity composing consistent emotional establish experience feeling master poetry prepare system
My feeling is that when we prepare a program, the experience can be just like composing poetry or music; as Andrei Ershov has said, programming can give us both intellectual and emotional satisfaction, because it is a real achievement to master complexity and to establish a system of consistent rules.
numbers method should
Random numbers should not be generated with a method chosen at random
engineering algorithms computer-science
An algorithm must be seen to be believed.
unhappy unhappiness ifs
If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.
computer program humans
Programs are meant to be read by humans and only incidentally for computers to execute.
science dna patents
I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.
practice attention spending
If you find that you're spending almost all your time on theory, start turning some attention to practical things; it will improve your theories. If you find that you're spending almost all your time on practice, start turning some attention to theoretical things; it will improve your practice.
funny-inspirational reading following-instructions
Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind.
practice inspired theory
The best theory is inspired by practice.
digital computer program
The process of preparing programs for a digital computer is especially attractive, not only because it can economically and scientifically rewarding, but also because it can be an aesthetic experience much like composing poetry or music.
teamwork strong team-building
A list is only as strong as its weakest link.
successful ingredients essentials
The enjoyment of one's tools is an essential ingredient of successful work.
roots evil debugging
Premature optimization is the root of all evil.