David G. Wiseman

Real Programmers ...








                   Real Programmers ....


Real Programmers  don't write specs -- users should consider
                  themselves  lucky  to  get any programs at
                  all and take what they get.

Real Programmers  don't comment their code.  If it was  hard
                  to write, it should be hard to understand.

Real Programmers  don't  write  application  programs;  they
                  program  right down on bare metal.  Appli-
                  cation programming is for feebs who  can't
                  do system programming.

Real Programmers  don't eat quiche.  They eat  Twinkies  and
                  Szechwan food.

Real Programmers  don't write in COBOL.  COBOL is for  wimpy
                  applications programmers.

Real Programmers  programs never work right the first  time.
                  But if you throw them on the machine, they
                  can be patched into  working  in  "only  a
                  few" 30-hour debugging sessions.

Real Programmers  don't write in FORTRAN.   FORTRAN  is  for
                  pipe  stress  freaks  and  crystallography
                  weenies.

Real Programmers  never work 9 to 5.  If any  Real  Program-
                  mers are around at 9 AM, it's because they
                  were up all night.

Real Programmers  don't write in BASIC.  Actually,  no  pro-
                  grammers  write in BASIC, after the age of
                  12.

Real Programmers  don't write in PL/I.  PL/I is for program-
                  mers  who can't decide whether to write in
                  COBOL or FORTRAN.

Real Programmers  don't write  in  APL.   Any  fool  can  be
                  obscure in APL.

Real Programmers  don't play tennis, or any other sport that
                  requires  you to change clothes.  Mountain
                  climbing is OK, and Real Programmers  wear
                  their  climbing  boots  to work, in case a
                  mountain should suddenly spring up in  the
                  middle of the machine room.

Real  Programmers  don't  document.   Documentation  is  for



                       April 11, 1984





                           - 2 -


                  simps  who  can't  read  the  listings  or
                  object deck.

Real Programmers  don't write in PASCAL, or BLISS,  or  ADA,
                  or  any  of  those  pinko computer science
                  languages.

Real Programmers  know better than the users what they need.

Real Programmers  think structured programming is a  Commun-
                  ist plot.

Real Programmers  don't use schedules.   Schedules  are  for
                  manager's  toadies.  Real Programmers like
                  to keep their managers in suspence.

Real  Programmers  think  better  when  playing   ADVENTURE.
                  [Rogue?]







































                       April 11, 1984


Ha, ha, ha. Take me back to [ the alphabetic list ] [ the date-ordered list ].