一些IT哲学

下面是Unix的特点：（30多年过去了，这些东西早已变成经典）

• Everything (including hardware) is a file
  所有的事物（甚至硬件本身）都是一个的文件。
• Configuration data stored in text
  以文本形式储存配置数据。
• Small, single-purpose program
  程序尽量朝向小而单一的目标设计
• Avoid captive user interfaces
  尽量避免令人困惑的用户接口
• Ability to chain program together to perform complex tasks
  将几个程序连结起来，处理大而复杂的工作。

 

Doug McIlroy 是认为UNIX的哲学是这样的：三条哲学，简明扼要，就是这三条哲学贯穿着整个Unix世界。尤其是第一条“do one thing and do it well”真是相当精彩！

• Write programs that do one thing and do it well.
• Write programs to work together.
• Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.

只要是Unix的程序员，他们会比别的程序员在任何时候都会不停地强调着这三条哲学。

而《The Art of Unix Programming》总结了下面这些哲学，都是至理名言啊。

• Rule of Modularity: Write simple parts connected by clean interfaces.
• Rule of Clarity: Clarity is better than cleverness.
• Rule of Composition: Design programs to be connected to other programs.
• Rule of Separation: Separate policy from mechanism; separate interfaces from engines.
• Rule of Simplicity: Design for simplicity; add complexity only where you must.
• Rule of Parsimony: Write a big program only when it is clear by demonstration that nothing else will do.
• Rule of Transparency: Design for visibility to make inspection and debugging easier.
• Rule of Robustness: Robustness is the child of transparency and simplicity.
• Rule of Representation: Fold knowledge into data so program logic can be stupid and robust.
• Rule of Least Surprise: In interface design, always do the least surprising thing.
• Rule of Silence: When a program has nothing surprising to say, it should say nothing.
• Rule of Repair: When you must fail, fail noisily and as soon as possible.
• Rule of Economy: Programmer time is expensive; conserve it in preference to machine time.
• Rule of Generation: Avoid hand-hacking; write programs to write programs when you can.
• Rule of Optimization: Prototype before polishing. Get it working before you optimize it.
• Rule of Diversity: Distrust all claims for “one true way”.
• Rule of Extensibility: Design for the future, because it will be here sooner than you think.

X Windows 的设计者 Mike Gancarz 给出了下面九条哲学思想

1. Small is beautiful.
2. Make each program do one thing well.
3. Build a prototype as soon as possible.
4. Choose portability over efficiency.
5. Store data in flat text files.
6. Use software leverage to your advantage.
7. Use shell scripts to increase leverage and portability.
8. Avoid captive user interfaces.
9. Make every program a filter.

在今天，这种思想依然被传承着，在影响着世界上各个角落的每一个程序员。