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For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

quantamagazine.org

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Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#111

Post by kragen »

gowld wrote: post #93
kragen wrote: post #32

A thing I never knew before: Donald Knuth, the paragon of scholarship and of a life well spent, not only cleans his own toilets but bought a specific janitorial uniform to make the process more efficient. I find this inspiring enough that I am going to clean my toilet now.

I believe you misunderstood a very important point. The uniform isn't for "efficiency". For cleaning one toilet, changing in and out of uniform would ruin the efficiency of having a pocket for 409 spray. The uniform is for fun . "Jill and I got uniforms that have a slot where the 409 cleaner fits. You go over there and squirt and feel good cleaning the toilet!"

Excellent point. Thank you.

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#112

Post by kragen »

dhosek wrote: post #50
kragen wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you get pixels on a screen from VM/CMS?

There were two graphic output options in the previewer. There were specialized graphic terminals using the GDDM protocol (this code was actually written by someone in Germany who sent me their changes). The original code that I wrote used Tektronics graphics protocols available in the terminal driver that connected to the mainframe via a protocol converter that enabled the use of cheap ASCII terminals instead of the…

Oh man, you were drawing pixel fonts on a 4014 storage tube? That must have taken forever.

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#114

Post by jasim »

markarranz wrote: post #12

> I write an average of five new programs every week. Poets have to write poems. I have to write computer programs. It seems more obvious now that I read it. A lot of programmers out there, including myself, are looking for ways to improve their skills and I never thought to myself to write more programs. And not just programs for the sake of programs, but programs that force you to explain to the computer that you u…

After Michelangelo died, someone found in his studio a piece of paper on which he had written a note to his apprentice, in the handwriting of his old age: “Draw, Antonio, draw, Antonio, draw and do not waste time.”

(The Writing Life by Annie Dillard)

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#115

Post by [deleted] »

gowld wrote: post #87
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the "quantity" group: fifty pound of pots rated an "A"…

Cool but fake.

[deleted]

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#116

Post by MR4D »

gowld wrote: post #95
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should really post a source.

A source that disproves a made up unsourced story is fake?

Here's two that prove it.

[0] - https://blog.codinghorror.com/quantity-always-trumps-quality...

[1] - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0961454733/?tag=codihorr-20

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#117

Post by detaro »

MR4D wrote: post #116
gowld wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A source that disproves a made up unsourced story is fake?

Here's two that prove it. [0] - https://blog.codinghorror.com/quantity-always-trumps-quality... [1] - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0961454733/?tag=codihorr-20

prove what? That someone printed the anecdote in a book?

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#118

Post by MR4D »

gowld wrote: post #95
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should really post a source.

A source that disproves a made up unsourced story is fake?

And here's the text in another book, courtesy of Google Books, on page 264:

https://books.google.com/books?id=TuvOng_Yh6wC&newbks=0&prin...

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#119

Post by MR4D »

gowld wrote: post #95
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should really post a source.

A source that disproves a made up unsourced story is fake?

And here's audio of the authors saying that it's a true story:

http://www.innonavi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/David-Bay...

Re: For Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression

#120

Post by danielscrubs »

markarranz wrote: post #12

> I write an average of five new programs every week. Poets have to write poems. I have to write computer programs. It seems more obvious now that I read it. A lot of programmers out there, including myself, are looking for ways to improve their skills and I never thought to myself to write more programs. And not just programs for the sake of programs, but programs that force you to explain to the computer that you u…

Remember that Knuth is/was a professor in mathematics and computer science, so he didn't spend his day coding, so for him it was beneficial to do something that complement the teaching and keep him grounded. What would complement yours? Maybe more of mathematics instead? Or design? Or economics?
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