40 years later, are Bentley’s “Programming Pearls” still relevant? – Terence Eden’s Blog

In September 1985, Jon Bentley published Programming Pearls. A collection of aphorisms designed to reveal truths about the field of programming.

It’s 40 years later – long enough to see several revolutions in the field – so surely these are obsolete, right? They belong in the same category as “always carry a bundle of hay for the horses” or “you won’t always have a pocket calculator with you” or “tie an onion on your belt to stay stylish”.

Ah, my sweet summer child! Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. You’ll find nearly everything in here depressingly relevant.Before we dive in, a word for Bentley on the provenance of this collection:

Source: 40 years later, are Bentley’s “Programming Pearls” still relevant? – Terence Eden’s Blog