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Translated by Geoffrey James
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"When you have learned to snatch the error code from the trap frame, it will
be time for you to leave."
Something mysterious is formed, born in the silent void. waiting alone and
unmoving, it is at once still and yet in constant motion. It is the source of
all programs. I do not know its name, so I will call it the Tao of Programming.
If the Tao is great, then the operating system is great.
If the operating system is great, then the compiler is great.
If the compiler is great, then the application is great.
The user is pleased, and there is harmony in the world.
The Tao of Programming flows far away and returns on the wind of morning.
The Tao gave birth to machine language.
Machine language gave birth to the assembler.
The assembler gave birth to the compiler.
Now there are ten thousand languages.
Each language has its purpose, however humble.
Each language expresses the Yin and Yang of software.
Each language has its place within the Tao.
But do not program in COBOL if you can avoid it.
In the beginning was the Tao. The Tao gave birth to Space and Time.
Therefore Space and Time are the Yin and Yang of programming.
Programmers that do not comprehend the Tao are always running out of time and
space for their programs. Programmers that comprehend the Tao always have enough
time and space to accomplish their goals.
How could it be otherwise?
The wise programmer is told about Tao and follows it. The average programmer is
told about Tao and searches for it. The foolish programmer is told about Tao and
laughs at it.
If it were not for laughter, there would be no Tao.
The highest sounds are hardest to hear. Going forward is a way to retreat. Great
talent shows itself late in life. Even a perfect program still has bugs.
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless."
The programmers of old were mysterious and profound. We cannot fathom their
thoughts, so all we do is describe their appearance.
Aware, like a fox crossing the water.
Alert, like a general on the battlefield.
Kind, like a hostess greeting her guests.
Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood.
Opaque, like black pools in darkened caves.
Who can tell the secrets of their hearts and minds?
The answer exists only in Tao.
The Grand Master Turing once dreamed that he was a machine. When he awoke, he
exclaimed:
"I don't know whether I am Turing dreaming that I am a machine, or a
machine dreaming that I am Turing!"
A programmer from a very large computer company went to a software conference
and then returned to report to his manager, saying:
"What sort of programmers work for other companies? They behaved badly and
were unconcerned with appearances. Their hair was long and unkempt and
their clothes were wrinkled and old. They crashed our hospitality suite and
they made rude noises during my presentation."
The manager said:
"I should have never sent you to the conference. Those programmers live
beyond the physical world. They consider life absurd, an accidental
coincidence. They come and go without knowing limitations. Without a care,
they live only for their programs. Why should they bother with social
conventions? They are alive within the Tao."
A novice asked the Master:
"Here is a programmer that never designs, documents or tests his programs.
Yet all who know him consider him one of the best programmers in the
world. Why is this?"
The Master replied:
"That programmer has mastered the Tao. He has gone beyond the need for
design; he does not become angry when the system crashes, but accepts the
universe without concern. He has gone beyond the need for documentation; he
no longer cares if anyone else sees his code. He has gone beyond the need
for testing; each of his programs are perfect within themselves, serene and
elegant, their purpose self-evident. Truly, he has entered the mystery of
Tao."
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"When a program is being tested, it is too late to make design changes."
There once was a man who went to a computer trade show. Each day as he entered,
the man told the guard at the door: "I am a great thief, renowned for my feats
of shoplifting. Be forewarned, for this trade show shall not escape
unplundered."
This speech disturbed the guard greatly, because there were millions of dollars
of computer equipment inside, so he watched the man carefully. But the man
merely wandered from booth to booth, humming quietly to himself.
When the man left, the guard took him aside and searched his clothes, but
nothing was to be found.
On the next day of the trade show, the man returned and chided the guard,
saying: "I escaped with a vast booty yesterday, but today will be even better."
So the guard watched him ever more closely, but to no avail.
On the final day of the trade show, the guard could restrain his curiosity no
longer."Sir Thief," he said, "I am so perplexed, I cannot live in peace. Please
enlighten me. What is it that you are stealing?"
The man smiled. "I am stealing ideas," he said.
There once was a Master Programmer who wrote unstructured programs. A novice
programmer, seeking to imitate him, also began to write unstructured programs.
When the novice asked the Master to evaluate his progress, the Master criticized
him for writing unstructured programs, saying,
"What is appropriate for the Master is not appropriate for the novice. You
must understand Tao before transcending structure."
There was once a programmer who was attached to the court of the warlord of
Wu. The warlord asked the programmer: "Which is easier to design: an accounting
package or an operating system?"
"An operating system," replied the programmer.
The warlord uttered an exclamation of disbelief. "Surely an accounting package
is trivial next to the complexity of an operating system," he said.
"Not so," said the programmer,
"When designing an accounting package, the programmer operates as a mediator
between people having different ideas: how it must operate, how its reports
must appear, and how it must conform to the tax laws. By contrast, an
operating system is not limited by outside appearances. When designing an
operating system, the programmer seeks the simplest harmony between machine
and ideas. This is why an operating system is easier to design."
The warlord of Wu nodded and smiled. "That is all good and well, but which is
easier to debug?"
The programmer made no reply.
A manager went to the Master Programmer and showed him the requirements document
for a new application. The manager asked the Master: "How long will it take to
design this system if I assign five programmers to it?"
"It will take one year," said the Master promptly.
"But we need this system immediately or even sooner! How long will it take if I
assign ten programmers to it?"
The Master Programmer frowned. "In that case, it will take two years."
"And what if I assign a hundred programmers to it?"
The Master Programmer shrugged.
"Then the design will never be completed," he said.
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"A well-written program is its own Heaven; a poorly-written program is its
own Hell."
A program should be light and agile, its subroutines connected like a string of
pearls. The spirit and intent of the program should be retained throughout.
There should be neither too little nor too much. Neither needless loops nor
useless variables; neither lack of structure nor overwhelming rigidity.
A program should follow the "Law of Least Astonishment". What is this law? It is
simply that the program should always respond to the users in the way that least
astonishes them.
A program, no matter how complex, should act as a single unit. The program
should be directed by the logic within rather than by outward appearances.
If the program fails in these requirements, it will be in a state of disorder
and confusion. The only way to correct this is to rewrite the program.
A novice asked the Master: "I have a program that sometimes runs and sometimes
aborts. I have followed the rules of programming, yet I am totally baffled. What
is the reason for this?"
The Master replied:
"You are confused because you do not understand Tao. Only a fool expects
rational behavior from his fellow humans. Why do you expect it from a
machine that humans have constructed? Computers simulate determinism; only
Tao is perfect.
The rules of programming are transitory; only Tao is eternal. Therefore, you
must contemplate Tao before you receive Enlightenment."
"But how will I know when I have received Enlightenment?" asked the novice.
"Your program will run correctly," replied the Master.
The Master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his novices.
"The Tao is embodied in all software -- regardless of how insignificant," said
the Master.
"Is the Tao in a hand-held calculator?" asked the novice.
"It is," came the reply.
"Is the Tao in a video game?" asked the novice.
"It is even in a video game," said the Master.
"Is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?" asked the novice.
The Master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over for
today," he said.
Prince Wang's programmer was coding software. His fingers danced upon the
keyboard. The program compiled without and error message, and the program ran
like a gentle wind.
"Excellent!" the Prince exclaimed. "Your technique is faultless!"
"Technique?" said the programmer, turning from his terminal,
"What I follow is Tao -- beyond all techniques! When I first began to
program, I would see before me the whole problem in one mass. After three
years, I no longer saw this mass. Instead, I used subroutines. But now I see
nothing. My whole being exists in a formless void. My senses are idle. My
spirit, free to work without a plan, follows its own instinct. In short, my
program writes itself. True, sometimes there are difficult problems. I see
them coming, I slow down, I watch silently. Then I change a single line of
code and the difficulties vanish like puffs of idle smoke. I then compile
the program. I sit still and let the joy of the work fill my being. I close
my eyes for a moment and then log off."
Prince Wang said, "Would that all of my programmers were as wise!"
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be
maintained."
A well-used door needs no oil on its hinges.
A swift-flowing stream does not grow stagnant.
A deer blends perfectly into the forest colors.
Software rots if not used.
These are great mysteries.
A manager asked a programmer how long it would take him to finish the program on
which he was working. "I will be finished tomorrow," the programmer promptly
replied.
"I think you are being unrealistic," said the manager, "Truthfully, how long
will it take?"
The programmer thought for a moment. "I have some features that I wish to
add. This will take at least two weeks," he finally said.
"Even that is too much to expect," insisted the manager, "I will be satisfied if
you simply tell me when the program is complete."
The programmer agreed to this.
Several years later, the manager retired. On the way to his retirement luncheon,
he discovered the programmer asleep at his terminal. He had been programming all
night.
A novice programmer was once assigned to code a simple financial package.
The novice worked furiously for many days, but when his Master reviewed his
program, he discovered it contained a screen editor, a set of generalized
graphics routines, and an artificial intelligence interface, but not the
slightest hint of anything financial.
When the Master asked about this, the novice became indignant. "Don't be so
impatient," he said, "I'll put in the financial stuff eventually."
Does a good farmer neglect a crop he has planted?
Does a good teacher overlook even the most humble student?
Does a good father allow a single child to starve?
Does a good programmer refuse to maintain his code?
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Let the programmers be many and the managers few -- then all will be
productive."
When managers hold endless meetings, the programmers write games.
When accountants speak of quarterly profits, the development budget is about to be cut.
When senior scientists talk blue sky, the clouds are about to roll in.
Truly, this is not the Tao of Programming.
When managers make commitments, game programs are ignored.
When accountants make long-range plans, harmony and order are about to be restored.
When senior scientists address the problems at hand, the problems will soon be solved.
Truly, this is the Tao of Programming.
Why are programmers non-productive? Because their time is wasted in meetings.
Why are programmers rebellious? Because the management interferes too much.
Why are the programmers resigning one by one? Because they are burnt out.
Having worked for poor management, they no longer value their jobs.
A manager was about to be fired, but a programmer who worked for him wrote a new
program that became popular and sold well. As a result, the manager retained his
job.
The manager tried to give the programmer a bonus, but the programmer refused it,
saying, "I wrote the program because I thought it was an interesting concept,
and thus I expect no reward."
The manager upon hearing this remarked, "This programmer, though he holds a
position of small esteem, understands well the proper duty of an employee. Let
us promote him to the exalted position of management consultant!"
But when told this, the programmer once more refused, saying, "I exist so that I
can program. If I were promoted, I would do nothing but waste everyone's
time. Can I go now? I have a program that I am working on."
A manager went to his programmers and told them: "As regards to your work hours:
you are going to have to come in at nine in the morning and leave at five in the
afternoon." At this, all of them became angry and several resigned on the spot.
So the manager said: "All right, in that case you may set your own working
hours, as long as you finish your projects on schedule." The programmers, now
satisfied, began to come in at noon and work to the wee hours of the morning.
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"You can demonstrate a program for a corporate executive, but you can't make
him computer literate."
A novice asked the Master:
"In the East, there is a great tree-structure that men call 'Corporate
Headquarters'. It is bloated out of shape with vice presidents and
accountants. It issues a multitude of memos, each saying 'Go Hence!' or 'Go
Hither!' and nobody knows what is meant. Every year new names are put onto
the branches, but all to no avail. How can such an unnatural entity exist?"
The Master replied:
"You perceive this immense structure and are disturbed that it has no
rational purpose. Can you not take amusement from its endless gyrations? Do
you not enjoy the untroubled ease of programming beneath its sheltering
branches? Why are you bothered by its uselessness?"
In the East there is a shark which is larger than all other fish. It changes
into a bird whose wings are like clouds filling the sky. When this bird moves
across the land, it brings a message from Corporate Headquarters. This message
it drops into the midst of the programmers, like a seagull making its mark upon
the beach. Then the bird mounts on the wind and, with the blue sky at its back,
returns home.
The novice programmer stares in wonder at the bird, for he understands it
not. The average programmer dreads the coming of the bird, for he fears its
message. The Master Programmer continues to work at his terminal, unaware that
the bird has come and gone.
The Magician of the Ivory Tower brought his latest invention for the Master
Programmer to examine. The Magician wheeled a large black box into the Master's
office while the Master waited in silence.
"This is an integrated, distributed, general-purpose workstation," began the
Magician, "ergonomically designed with a proprietary operating system, sixth
generation languages, and multiple state of the art user interfaces. It took my
assistants several hundred man years to construct. Is it not amazing?"
The Master Programmer raised his eyebrows slightly. "It is indeed amazing," he
said.
"Corporate Headquarters has commanded," continued the Magician, "that everyone
use this workstation as a platform for new programs. Do you agree to this?"
"Certainly," replied the Master. "I will have it transported to the Data Center
immediately!" And the Magician returned to his tower, well pleased.
Several days later, a novice wandered into the office of the Master Programmer
and said, "I cannot find the listing for my new program. Do you know where it
might be?"
"Yes," replied the Master, "the listings are stacked on the platform in the Data
Center."
The Master Programmer moves from program to program without fear. No change in
management can harm him. He will not be fired, even if the project is
cancelled. Why is this? He is filled with Tao.
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Without the wind, the grass does not move. Without software hardware is
useless."
A novice asked the Master:
"I perceive that one computer company is much larger than all others. It
towers above its competition like a giant among dwarfs. Any one of its
divisions could comprise an entire business. Why is this so?"
The Master replied,
"Why do you ask such foolish questions? That company is large because it is
large. If it only made hardware, nobody would buy it. If it only made
software, nobody would use it. If it only maintained systems, people would
treat it like a servant. But because it combines all of these things, people
think it one of the gods! By not seeking to strive, it conquers without
effort."
A Master Programmer passed a novice programmer one day.
The Master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game.
"Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?"
The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the Master. "I see that
the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said
the Master. "Yet every such device has another level of play, where the device
seeks not to conquer the human, nor to be conquered by the human."
"Pray, Great Master," implored the novice, "how does one find this mysterious
setting?"
The Master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it with his
heel. Suddenly the novice was enlightened.
There was once a programmer who wrote software for personal computers. "Look at
how well off I am here," he said to a mainframe programmer who came to visit.
"I have my own operating system and file storage device. I do not have to
share my resources with anyone. The software is self-consistent and
easy-to-use. Why do you not quit your present job and join me here?"
The mainframe programmer then began to describe his system to his friend,
saying,
"The mainframe sits like an ancient Sage meditating in the midst of the Data
Center. Its disk drives lie end-to-end like a great ocean of machinery. The
software is as multifaceted as a diamond, and as convoluted as a primeval
jungle. The programs, each unique, move through the system like a
swift-flowing river. That is why I am happy where I am."
The personal computer programmer, upon hearing this, fell silent. But the two
programmers remained friends until the end of their days.
Hardware met Software on the road to Changtse. Software said: "You are Yin and I
am Yang. If we travel together, we will become famous and earn vast sums of
money." And so they set forth together, thinking to conquer the world.
Presently, they met Firmware, who was dressed in tattered rags and hobbled along
propped on a thorny stick. Firmware said to them:
"The Tao lies beyond Yin and Yang. It is silent and still as a pool of
water. It does not seek fame; therefore, nobody knows its presence. It does
not seek fortune, for it is complete within itself. It exists beyond space
and time."
Software and Hardware, ashamed, returned to their homes.
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Time for you to leave."