The Eric Normand Podcast The Humble Programmer
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Aug 2, 2021 Dive into the world of programming philosophy with insights from Edsger Dijkstra's landmark lecture. Explore the importance of humility and the evolution of programming languages like Fortran, LISP, and Algol 60. Discover how managing complexity can enhance code efficiency and reliability. Engage with innovative solutions that prioritize manageable programming practices. Reflect on the historical challenges faced by early programmers and the concept of proof in achieving software correctness. Uncover the cognitive impacts of programming languages and the need for simplicity in development.
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Proving Over Debugging
- Programs should be built correctly from the start, not just debugged into correctness.
- Dijkstra championed proving correctness as a better approach than relying mainly on debugging.
Dijkstra's Quick Genius Anecdote
- Edsger Dijkstra developed the shortest path algorithm in just 20 minutes at a cafe with his fiancée.
- This algorithm is still widely used and known as Dijkstra's algorithm today.
Hardware Overshadowed Programming Early
- Early computers focused on hardware and physical maintenance, overshadowing the programmer's role.
- This historical focus caused programming to be undervalued and considered less important than hardware.