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The Tao of Programming

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English, Chinese

151 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1986

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838 people want to read

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Geoffrey James

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5 stars
124 (40%)
4 stars
97 (32%)
3 stars
67 (22%)
2 stars
13 (4%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Barbara Krein.
12 reviews
Read
September 27, 2019
The first part of the book is fantastic. I can't recmomend it higlhy enough for a professional software developer that wishes to ELEAVTE him or herself to a higher standard. The second part was more difficult for me to digest. Anyway, I didn't REGRET of buying it.
Profile Image for David.
1,144 reviews58 followers
September 27, 2013
Page 7: "The Tao gave birth to machine language. Machine language gave birth to the assembler.

The Assembler gave birth to the compiler. Now there are then 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."
Profile Image for kat.
568 reviews91 followers
March 9, 2008
cute but dated. when i first read this (soon after getting into programming) it seemed funny and profound; now it reads as a bit trite.
Profile Image for Cat Gray.
54 reviews
January 9, 2021
Bwahahahaha! It's hilarious and yet profound. Such a pity it's so short. Feels almost like cheating to count it for my 2021 reading challenge (can't believe I've stumbled upon this book only now), but since it's in the catalogue and I want to rate it, why not :)

It's infinitely quotable - you can read it for free, for example, here, so there's not much sense in copy/paste, but one in particular hits the spot for me:


Thus spake the master programmer:
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless."


So that explains it! I feel enlightened.
Profile Image for Santos.
34 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2020
- "A well-written program is its own Heaven; a poorly-written program is its own Hell."
- "Without the wind, the grass does not move. Without software hardware is useless."

Get it at https://www.mit.edu/~xela/tao.html
Profile Image for mirabilos.
1,078 reviews19 followers
November 24, 2021
I read the archived edition from: http://web.archive.org/web/2020081302...

Not all of it was new; most has crossed my path one way or the other, perhaps in combination with the Jargon File. Some was new, and some things I only understand having seen companies in multiple sizes now.

This wisdom is timeless, even if it takes having read up on older architectures (like mainframes) to understand, for the younger ones. It was prophetic as well (I really laughed out loud when the clouds rolled in, for quality went out of the window with that).
Profile Image for djokernole.
3 reviews
July 19, 2025
Mandatory read for anyone with even the most fleeting interest in CS. It's just one long dad joke -- and a great one at that <3
Profile Image for Elena B..
99 reviews57 followers
June 25, 2017
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.

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.”
“When the program is being tested, it is too late to make design changes.”
“A well-written program is its own heaven; a poorly-written program is its own hell.”
“Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained.”
“Let the programmers be many and the managers few - then all will be productive.”
“Without the wind, the grass does not move. Without software, hardware is useless.”
“It is time for you to leave.”

Truly, this is the Tao of Programming.

Profile Image for Grey.
54 reviews34 followers
March 18, 2011
Cute and funny. I recognized some references to the Tao Te Ching. Maybe half of the book is anecdotes about "the master said" and "the novice said", which I'm pretty sure is more Zen Buddhism than Taoism...
Profile Image for Zalli.
2 reviews
January 29, 2019
Loved it !

"A well-written program is its own heaven; a poorly-written program is its own hell."
Profile Image for Lora.
5 reviews
March 28, 2019
Lots of fun according to my memory (4 or 5yrs ago) ,impressive, which is the reason I recall it years after.
Profile Image for Matthew.
205 reviews18 followers
November 29, 2019


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!"
Profile Image for Simón.
76 reviews27 followers
December 12, 2021
Funny, mad, and true... all at the same time... It all lives (and could actually happen! ) in Tão !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Seburath.
154 reviews19 followers
December 4, 2020
So fun to read!

A short essay of coders humor, with an ancient Chinese style.
Profile Image for Olcay.
1 review
October 14, 2020
Very nice book to explore yourself as a developer.
It gives you a good inspiration about how things should be considered, how you can manage problems on the road, what the real cost of success, how you can avoid distractions and may focus, what is the road of progress with nice examples.
Also it is a good sample about philosophical relation and what really happens behind the success curtain.
Profile Image for AraBD.
536 reviews4 followers
September 18, 2014
Me hizo sonreir... cualquier parecido con la realidad es mera coincidencia. xD

4.4
El programador del Príncipe Wang estaba codificando software. Sus dedos bailaban sobre el teclado. El programa compiló sin errores y se ejecutó cual ligera brisa.

“¡Excelente!”, exclamó el Príncipe, “¡Tu técnica es infalible!”.

“¿Técnica?”, dijo el programador girándose desde su terminal, “¡Lo que yo sigo es el Tao más allá de toda técnica! Cuando empecé a programar, veía ante mí el problema completo como un todo.

Después de tres años ya no veía ese bloque: empecé a usar subrutinas. Pero ahora no veo nada. Mi ser existe en un vacío sin forma. Mis sentidos están ociosos. Mi espíritu, libre para trabajar sin un plan, sigue su propio instinto. En resumen, mi programa se escribe a sí mismo. Es cierto que a veces hay problemas complejos. Los veo acercarse, me detengo, observo en silencio. Entonces cambio una única línea de código y las dificultades se desvanecen como una voluta de humo. Compilo mi programa. Me quedo quieto y dejo que el gozo del trabajo llene mi ser. Cierro los ojos un momento, y entonces cierro mi sesión”.

El Príncipe Wang dijo “Ojalá todos mis programadores fueran tan sabios”.

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6.3
Un gerente estaba a punto de ser despedido, pero un programador que trabajaba para él inventó un nuevo programa que se hizo popular y se vendió bien. Como consecuencia, el gerente conservó su empleo.

El gerente intentó darle al programador una bonificación, pero éste se negó diciendo “yo escribí el programa porque pensé que era un concepto interesante, por lo que no espero ninguna recompensa”.

Al oír esto, el gerente comentó: “Este programador, a pesar de su baja autoestima, entiende bien los deberes de un empleado. ¡Vamos a promocionarlo hacia la posición de consultor de gestión!”.

Pero cuando se le dijo esto, el programador lo rechazó una vez más diciendo: “Vivo para la programación. Si fuera ascendido no haría más que desperdiciar el tiempo de todos. ¿Me puedo ir? Tengo un programa en el que trabajar”.

------
Profile Image for Joe.
13 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2014
Probably the oldest computer book I still own and use. The technical references are dated, but the content is as relative today as it was twenty years ago. In that sense, it reminds me of Mythical Man Month. Unfortunately, I believe this book has not been in print for quite some time. But you can find the content on the web.
Profile Image for Rajath Ramakrishna.
3 reviews
September 4, 2016
This book has both humor and wisdom that's shared as bite sized anecdotes, mostly as stories or as a conversation between a novice and a master programmer. This would be one of those books that you would go back and read again every now and then.
Profile Image for Lyn.
3 reviews
January 25, 2016
Yes it's dated, but ways mentioned will always apply to contemporary and beyond, rather agnostic. Great read to get into the minds of the programmers. Basic principles are independent from language specifics. Enjoyed this book in one sitting.
Profile Image for Kevin.
36 reviews13 followers
September 18, 2010
Cute. 80s programming style guide re-imagined as Eastern mysticism along with suitable artwork.
Profile Image for Scott.
10 reviews
March 3, 2013
A friend gave me this a while back and I just read it again. It is an old book (especially in computer years) but it's just as relevant today as when it was written. Definitely a classic.
Profile Image for Gonçalo.
56 reviews11 followers
March 26, 2013
Among the hilarious situations and metaphors this book presents, there is valuable knowledge about programming and everyday challenges developers worldwide face. A must read, since it is so short.
Profile Image for Mehdi.
18 reviews2 followers
August 2, 2014
I have read persian translation by Aidin Gharibnavaz.
من ترجمه فارسی این اثر را خوانده‌ام که توسط آقای آیدین غریب‌نواز به فارسی برگردانده شده است.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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