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Edsger W. Dijkstra
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- 1Dijkstra's 1978 essay mocks natural language programming●The foolishness of "natural language programming" (1978)
A 1978 essay by Edsger W. Dijkstra, arguing that programming in natural language is foolish, is drawing fresh attention online. Dijkstra contended that natural languages are too ambiguous and imprecise for writing correct programs, defending formal notation instead. Readers are revisiting the piece to weigh its arguments against modern efforts to let people code in plain English.