The Tao of Programming
Translated by Geoffrey James
BOOK 1
The Silent Void
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."
1.1
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.
1.2
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.
1.3
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?
1.4
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.
BOOK 2
The Ancient Masters
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"After three days without programming, life becomes
meaningless."
2.1
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.
2.2
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!"
2.3
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."
2.4
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."
BOOK 3
Design
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"When a program is being tested, it is too late to
make design
changes."
3.1
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.
3.2
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."
3.3
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.
3.4
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.
BOOK 4
Coding
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"A well-written program is its own Heaven; a
poorly-written
program is its own Hell."
4.1
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.
4.2
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.
4.3
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.
4.4
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!"
BOOK 5
Maintenance
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Though a program be but three lines long, someday it
will have to
be maintained."
5.1
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.
5.2
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.
5.3
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."
5.4
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?
BOOK 6
Management
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Let the programmers be many and the managers few --
then all will
be productive."
6.1
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.
6.2
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.
6.2
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."
6.3
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.
BOOK 7
Corporate Wisdom
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"You can demonstrate a program for a corporate
executive, but
you can't make him computer literate."
7.1
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?"
7.2
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.
7.3
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."
7.4
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.
BOOK 8
Hardware and Software
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Without the wind, the grass does not move. Without
software
hardware is useless."
8.1
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."
8.2
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.
8.3
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.
8.4
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.
BOOK 9
Epilogue
Thus spake the Master Programmer:
"Time for you to leave."