It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Writing a buggy program is easier than ensuring it is correct.
- In plain terms
- It is easier to make mistakes than to get it right.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on correctness over speed when writing code.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes correctness hard in your work?
- How do you verify correctness?
Another view
Quick prototypes often intentionally sacrifice correctness for speed.
More from Alan Perlis
It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
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