The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can read more

The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can be created in the form of computer programs.

If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one read more

If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.

Encryption...is a powerful defensive weapon for free people. It offers a technical guarantee of privacy, regardless of who is running read more

Encryption...is a powerful defensive weapon for free people. It offers a technical guarantee of privacy, regardless of who is running the government... It's hard to think of a more powerful, less dangerous tool for liberty.

In view of all the deadly computer viruses that have been spreading lately, Weekend Update would like to remind you: read more

In view of all the deadly computer viruses that have been spreading lately, Weekend Update would like to remind you: when you link up to another computer, you're linking up to every computer that that computer has ever linked up to.

Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.

Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.

If you get hung up on everybody else's hang-ups, then the whole world's going to be nothing more than one read more

If you get hung up on everybody else's hang-ups, then the whole world's going to be nothing more than one huge gallows.

The NeXT Computer: The hardware makes it a PC, the software makes it a workstation, the unit sales makes it read more

The NeXT Computer: The hardware makes it a PC, the software makes it a workstation, the unit sales makes it a mainframe.

As crude a weapon as a cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life.

As crude a weapon as a cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life.

By the time (the Leaning Tower of Pisa) was 10% built, everyone knew it would be a total disaster. But read more

By the time (the Leaning Tower of Pisa) was 10% built, everyone knew it would be a total disaster. But the investment was so big they felt compelled to go on. Since its completion, it cost a fortune to maintain and is still in danger of collapsing. There are no plans to replace it, since it was never needed in the first place. I expect every installation has its own pet software which is analogous to the above.