The Tao of Programming wrote:
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained."
The Tao of Programming wrote:
There was once a programmer who was attached to the court of the warlord of Wu. The warlord asked the programmer: "Which is easier to design: an accounting package or an operating system?"
"An operating system," replied the programmer.
The warlord uttered an exclamation of disbelief. "Surely an accounting package is trivial next to the complexity of an operating system," he said.
"Not so," said the programmer, "When designing an accounting package, the programmer operates as a mediator between people having different ideas: how it must operate, how its reports must appear, and how it must conform to the tax laws. By contrast, an operating system is not limited by outside appearances. When designing an operating system, the programmer seeks the simplest harmony between machine and ideas. This is why an operating system is easier to design."
The warlord of Wu nodded and smiled. "That is all good and well, but which is easier to debug?"
The programmer made no reply.
The Tao of Programming wrote:
The Master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his novices.
"The Tao is embodied in all software -- regardless of how insignificant," said the Master.
"Is the Tao in a hand-held calculator?" asked the novice.
"It is," came the reply.
"Is the Tao in a video game?" asked the novice.
"It is even in a video game," said the Master.
"Is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?" asked the novice.
The Master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over for today," he said.