Processor balance (was Re: Welcome and VME)

From: Eric Smith <eric_at_brouhaha.com>
Date: Thu Nov 16 13:52:42 2000

Sellam Ismail wrote:
> The fun with the Apple ][ was making it do things the other computers
> could do, (although not nearly as adequately, but still), without all the
> adjunct hardware :)

Time for one of my favorite quotes:

    And in those days many a clever programmer derived an immense
    intellectual satisfaction from the cunning tricks by means of which
    he contrived to squeeze the impossible into the constraints of his
    equipment.
              -- Edsger W. Dijkstra, "The Humble Programmer",
                 1972 ACM Turing Award Lecture

He was writing about the very early days of computer programming, when
every computer was unique. In these days of bloatware, there are very
few programmers that still practice the art of achieving the maximum
results from the minimum system (hardware and software). But those of
us that do so *still* derive "an immense intellectual satisfaction". :-)

Eric
Received on Thu Nov 16 2000 - 13:52:42 GMT