Niklaus Wirth quotes

In the practical world of computing, it is rather uncommon that a program, once it performs correctly and satisfactorily, remains unchanged forever. (Niklaus Wirth)
Experience shows that the success of a programming course critically depends on the choice of these examples. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Programming is usually taught by examples. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
But active programming consists of the design of new programs, rather than contemplation of old programs. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Clearly, programming courses should teach methods of design and construction, and the selected examples should be such that a gradual development can be nicely demonstrated. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
During the process of stepwise refinement, a notation which is natural to the problem in hand should be used as long as possible. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Software development is technical activity conducted by human beings. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
But quality of work can be expected only through personal satisfaction, dedication and enjoyment. In our profession, precision and perfection are not a dispensible luxury, but a simple necessity. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
A good designer must rely on experience, on precise, logic thinking; and on pedantic exactness. No magic will do. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Indeed, the woes of Software Engineering are not due to lack of tools, or proper management, but largely due to lack of sufficient technical competence. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Go To statement considered harmful. (Niklaus Wirth)
Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
... we do not consider it as good engineering practice to consume a resource lavishly just because it happens to be cheap. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
As a matter of fact, the adaptability of a program to changes in its objectives (often called maintainability) and to changes in its environment (nowadays called portability) can be measured primarily in terms of the degree to which it is neatly structured. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Reliable and transparent programs are usually not in the interest of the designer. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
In our profession, precision and perfection are not a dispensable luxury, but a simple necessity. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Many people tend to look at programming styles and languages like religions: if you belong to one, you cannot belong to others. But this analogy is another fallacy. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
I have never designed a language for its own sake. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
My duty as a teacher is to train, educate future programmers. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Usually its users discover sooner or later that their program does not deliver all the desired results, or worse, that the results requested were not the ones really needed. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
It is evidently necessary to generate and test candidates for solutions in some systematic manner. (Niklaus Wirth)
My being a teacher had a decisive influence on making language and systems as simple as possible so that in my teaching, I could concentrate on the essential issues of programming rather than on details of language and notation. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Nevertheless, I consider OOP as an aspect of programming in the large; that is, as an aspect that logically follows programming in the small and requires sound knowledge of procedural programming. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
Program construction consists of a sequence of refinement steps. View quote
Niklaus Wirth
The idea that one might derive satisfaction from his or her successful work, because that work is ingenious, beautiful, or just pleasing, has become ridiculed. View quote
Niklaus Wirth