Larry Wall Computer Quotations

I think computer science, by and large, is still stuck in the Modern age.

Just don't create a file called.

The whole history of computers is rampant with cheerleading at best and bigotry at worst.

The purpose of most computer languages is to lengthen your resume by a word and a comma.

The computer should be doing the hard work. That's what it's paid to do, after all.

Besides, REAL computers have a rename() system call.

I'm sorry, but you just made me lose my sense of humor, which is deeply regrettable.

You can prove anything by mentioning another computer language.

Computer languages differ not so much in what they make possible, but in what they make easy.

I think I'm likely to be certified before Perl is...

Although the Perl Slogan is There's More Than One Way to Do It, I hesitate to make 10 ways to do something.

Sometimes I wish I could put an expiration date on my quotes.

You need to go and find someone to teach you the rudiments of irrational discourse.

Guilty as charged. Perl is happily ugly, and happily derivative.

Just because you're into control doesn't mean you're in control.

Don't wear rollerskates to a tug-of-war.

What about WRITING it first and rationalizing it afterwards?

It won't be covered in the book. The source code has to be useful for something, after all...

It's there as a sop to former Ada programmers.

... an initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.

A good messenger expects to get shot.

Let's say the docs present a simplified view of reality...

Save it for my unauthorized autobiography.

Yes, but I did manage to increase the amount of virginity in the world by that method.

I think I'll side with the pissheads on this one.

I just hope I'm never promoted to the level of my incontinence.

Human languages tend to be much more ambiguous than computer languages because humans are much smarter about interpreting the context.

It's easier to make up sayings people like to hear than sayings they like to heed.

Lisp has all the visual appeal of oatmeal with fingernail clippings mixed in.

The young think they are immortal, and are determined to prove otherwise.

A journey of a thousand miles continues with the second step.