The way I see it, if you declare something portable, you'll always be wrong, and if you declare it non-portable, you'll always be right. :-)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He jokes that declaring code portable is always wrong, while calling it non‑portable is always right.
- In plain terms
- Portability claims are often inaccurate.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of absolute statements about portability.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How to verify portability?
- When is portability essential?
Another view
Some code truly is portable; the joke overgeneralizes.
More from Larry Wall
I'd make people say 'use Fork;' if I thought I could get away with it.
Permalink to quote #197 Perhaps you should compile your Perl with long doubles one of these megaseconds.
Permalink to quote #199 I've always maintained a cordial dislike for indent, because it's usually right.
Permalink to quote #196
Related quotes
Portability is for people who cannot write new programs.
Linus TorvaldsLinus Torvalds quote #16 If something's expensive to develop, and somebody's not going to get paid, it won't get developed. So you decide: Do you want software to be written, or not?
Bill GatesBill Gates quote #1 Most software today is very much like an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by br…
Alan KayAlan Kay quote #6