"Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble?"
- Alan Perlis
About this Quote
This quote by Alan Perlis is a reflection on the nature of software and its relationship to other kinds of innovation. He suggests that software is special in that it is suggested to be discarded, which its purpose is to be seen as a short-lived, short lived thing. This idea implies that software application is continuously changing and evolving, and that it is not meant to be a permanent fixture in our lives. It recommends that software must be viewed as a tool to be used and then discarded, instead of something to be kept and preserved. This concept remains in contrast to other kinds of technology, which are frequently developed to last and be preserved gradually. Perlis' quote is a suggestion that software application is an unique kind of technology, and that it ought to be seen as a temporary, ever-changing tool.
This quote is written / told by Alan Perlis between April 1, 1922 and February 7, 1990. He/she was a famous Scientist from USA.
The author also have 26 other quotes.
"Well, user feedback was excellent. Even when the software didn't work at all, there were few people who were avid users, and there were people who were just sending excellent feedback and excellent ideas"
"Since when has the world of computer software design been about what people want? This is a simple question of evolution. The day is quickly coming when every knee will bow down to a silicon fist, and you will all beg your binary gods for mercy"
"I'm sorry that we have to have a Washington presence. We thrived during our first 16 years without any of this. I never made a political visit to Washington and we had no people here. It wasn't on our radar screen. We were just making great software"
"When it comes to software, I much prefer free software, because I have very seldom seen a program that has worked well enough for my needs, and having sources available can be a life-saver"
"People enjoy the interaction on the Internet, and the feeling of belonging to a group that does something interesting: that's how some software projects are born"
"The engineering is long gone in most PC companies. In the consumer electronics companies, they don't understand the software parts of it. And so you really can't make the products that you can make at Apple anywhere else right now. Apple's the only company that has everything under one roof"
