I have just noticed that I should have celebrated my Millionth Moore
Day last year.
Moore's Law has gifted me with 2**20 times increase in computer power
since I first started programming them.
OK. They have also shrunk from taking up most of the 1st floor of a
large building to fitting on my desk..
But the basics are the same...
* Computers are still too damn slow.
* Garbage still comes out when you stuff garbage in.
* They still only do what I tell them, not what I want.
Things that lasted since those days are...
* Fortran - (I'm glad I no longer use it)
* Lisp - Still a fundamentally Good Design
* 80 columns is still about the "right" line length.
Things that have most improved since those days...
* The advent of Open Source software and Linux.
* Scripting languages like Ruby
* I no longer read files line by line, but
IO.read(filename).scan(regexp) do |match|
doSomethingWithTheBitIcareAbout()
end
May you all live to enjoy your (next)? Millionth Moore Day.
John Carter Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639
Tait Electronics Fax : (64)(3) 359 4632
PO Box 1645 Christchurch Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
New Zealand
