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.
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.
In 1999, a COBOL programmer, tasked with updating bank software for the year Y2K switch, became overwhelmed.
"Look at all of this code!" he exclaimed. "I'll never be able to fix it all in time!"
Horrified by the media depictions of apocalypse brought by financial meltdown and software-launched nuclear warheads, all because of the Y2K bug, he became very anxious.
So, he went to the cryogenic freezing facility and told them, "Wake me up when Y2K is over."
He laid in the cryotube and gently fell asleep as the cold began to overtake him.
The next thing he knew, he was laying on a bed in a warm room, bright lights and white walls giving the room a certain sterility. A doctor in a lab coat was standing over him holding a clipboard.
"Oh, thank heavens!" said the programmer. "We've made it out alive!"
"Yes," said the doctor. "The year is 2999, and it says in your chart you know COBOL?"
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.
The Tao of Programming, 8.3 http://www.mit.edu/~xela/tao.html