I simultaneously believe that languages are wonderful and awful. You have to hold both of those. Ugly things can be beautiful. And beautiful can get ugly very fast. You know, take Lisp. You know, it's the most beautiful language in the world. At least up until Haskell came along. (laughter) But, you know, every program in Lisp is just ugly. I don't figure how that works.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Languages can be both beautiful and ugly; Lisp is praised for elegance but its programs can be messy.
- In plain terms
- Languages have mixed qualities; Lisp is elegant yet can produce ugly code.
- What can you take from it?
- Appreciate a language's strengths while recognizing its flaws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you reconcile a language's beauty with its practical drawbacks?
Another view
The view is subjective and varies by experience.
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