Abstract
Programming begins with a specification of what the envisioned program ought to do. It is the programmer’s job to develop an executable program satisfying that specification. Yet, only a small fraction of a programmer’s time is typically devoted to the creation of original programs ex nihilo. Instead, most of his effort is normally devoted to such activities as debugging incorrect programs, adapting known techniques to specific problems at hand, modifying existing programs to meet amended specifications, extending old programs for expanded capabilities, and abstracting ideas of general applicability into “subroutines.”
Ex nihilo fit nihil. —Epicurus
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© 1983 Birkhäuser Boston, Inc.
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Dershowitz, N. (1983). Introduction. In: The Evolution of Programs. Progress in Computer Science No.5, vol 5. Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5621-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5621-2_1
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-8176-3171-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-5621-2
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