Premature optimization is the root of all evil : Prof. Donald Knuth

[xytrius]

For most computer programmers, or anyone who has dabbled with code, Donald Knuth is the Ultimate Jedi. He has set a standard so high with his The Art Of Computer Programming, that few have even come close to emulating him.

The New York Times has a superb article, The Yoda of Silicon Valley which offers a glimpse of the great man's work.

Excerpts from the article:


"The Art of Computer Programming," ... included by American Scientist in 2013 on its list of books that shaped the last century of science " alongside a special edition of "The Autobiography of Charles Darwin," Tom Wolfe's ?The Right Stuff," Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" and monographs by Albert Einstein, John von Neumann and Richard Feynman.

At age 19, Dr. Knuth published his first technical paper, "The Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures," in Mad magazine. He became a computer scientist before the discipline existed, studying mathematics at what is now Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He looked at sample programs for the school's IBM 650 mainframe, a decimal computer, and, noticing some inadequacies, rewrote the software as well as the textbook used in class. As a side project, he ran stats for the basketball team, writing a computer program that helped them win their league...

During summer vacations, Dr. Knuth made more money than professors earned in a year by writing compilers.

[systemviper]

Thanks for the post, I will read it later when i settle in...