Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend.
programmingisterrible.com
“Every line of code is written without reason, maintained out of weakness, and deleted by chance” Jean-Paul Sartre’s Programming in ANSI C. Every line of code written comes at a price: maintenance. To...
  • drspod
    232·
    26 days ago

    “Every line of code is written without reason, maintained out of weakness, and deleted by chance” Jean-Paul Sartre’s Programming in ANSI C

    Is this a joke or an AI hallucination? I’m pretty sure Sartre never wrote about programming in ANSI C.

    There is a book called “Programming in ANSI C” by E. Balagurusamy

    I can only find other references to this quote from sites that are linking this article.

    The article actually does date back to 2016 so it’s not AI generated.

    • drspod
      43·
      26 days ago

      I should have tried a bit harder to search, the original quote by Sartre is:

      “Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.”