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Brian Kernighan Quotes


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Quotes by Brian Kernighan

Showing 1-10 of 17 Quotes by Brian Kernighan

Programming language is very specific to instructing a computer to do a particular structure of a sequence. It's the very way you tell the machine what you want it to do.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Computer Language Machine Particular Programming Sequence Specific Structure Tell Very Want Way You

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Even though most people won't be directly involved with programming, everyone is affected by computers, so an educated person should have a good understanding of how computer hardware, software, and networks operate.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Affected Computer Computers Directly Educated Even Everyone Good Hardware How Involved Most Networks Operate People Person Programming Should Software Though Understanding

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Unix has, I think for many years, had a reputation as being difficult to learn and incomplete. Difficult to learn means that the set of shared conventions, and things that are assumed about the way it works, and the basic mechanisms, are just different from what they are in other systems.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: About Assumed Basic Being Conventions Different Difficult Had Incomplete Just Learn Many Means Mechanisms Other Reputation Set Shared Systems Things Think Unix Way Works Years I Think

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Every language teaches you something, so learning a language is never wasted, especially if it's different in more than just syntactic trivia.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Different Every Just Language Learning More Never Something Teaches Than Trivia Wasted You

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No matter what, the way to learn to program is to write code and rewrite it and see it used and rewrite again. Reading other people's code is invaluable as well.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Again Code Invaluable Learn Matter Other People Program Reading Rewrite See Used Way Well Write

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Bell Labs was an astonishing place for many decades, though it fell on somewhat hard times during the telecom meltdown some years ago, as its corporate owner had to cope with shrinking markets.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Astonishing Bell Cope Corporate Decades Fell Had Hard Hard Times Labs Many Markets Owner Place Shrinking Some Somewhat Telecom Though Times Years Years Ago

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I had spent the summer of 1966 working at MIT in the group that was the MIT component of the Multics effort.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Component Effort Group Had Mit Spent Summer Working

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Anytime you want to hear about graph partitioning, I will be glad to tell you what I know about graph partitioning. It remains a standard problem. I think it's an interesting problem, because it shows up in a variety of guises in real life.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: About Anytime Because Glad Graph Hear Interesting Know Life Problem Real Real Life Remains Shows Standard Tell Think Up Variety Want Will You I Think

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I really enjoyed Princeton as a graduate student.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: Enjoyed Graduate Graduate Student Princeton Really Student

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No matter how non-technical your life and work, you're going to have to interact with technology and technical people. If you know something about how devices and systems operate, it's a big advantage.

~Brian Kernighan

Topics: About Advantage Big Devices Going How Interact Know Life Matter Operate People Something Systems Technical Technology Work You Your

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Biography

Nationality: Canadian

Type: Scientist

Born: January 1st, 1942

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