There are no standards for computer programmers and no group to certify them.

Whenever anyone says, 'theoretically,' they really mean, 'not really.'.

All programmers are optimists. Perhaps this modern sorcery especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy godmothers. Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive away all but those who habitually focus on the end goal. Perhaps it is merely that computers are young, programmers are younger, and the young are always optimists. But however the selection process works,the result is indisputable: "This time it will surely run," or "I just found the last bug."

Beware of computer programmers that carry screwdrivers.

As a rule, software systems do not work well until they have been used, and have failed repeatedly, in real applications.

When someone builds a bridge, he uses engineers who have been certified as knowing what they are doing. Yet when someone builds you a software program, he has no similar certification, even though your safety may be just as dependent upon that software working as it is upon the bridge supporting your weight.