In the latest edition of Communications of the ACM I've read the following quote by Donald Knuth:
Programming is the art of telling another human being what one wants the computer to do
Many people think that programming is only about writing detailed instructions that machines should follow. The quote by Knuth explains well that code will be read not only by machines but also by humans who will be reviewing, extending or fixing code in the future. Therefore I appeal to your consciousness to have some compassion for your fellow programmer and write code that will be comprehensible also by humans not just the machines.
Related articles
- Luis de Bethencourt: Donald Knuth and Steve Jobs (luisbg.blogalia.com)
- Donald Knuth reads my blog? (esr.ibiblio.org)
- Coders at work (sean.voisen.org)