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Dijkstra's 1978 critique of natural language programming resurfaces

By PulseAugur Editorial · [2 sources] ·

A 1978 essay by Edsger W. Dijkstra, "On the Foolishness of 'Natural Language Programming,'" is being shared and discussed. The essay critiques the idea of using natural language for programming, arguing it leads to ambiguity and inefficiency. Modern discussions on social media platforms like Mastodon are resurfacing this work, prompting reflection on its relevance to today's AI and computing landscape. AI

IMPACT Dijkstra's 1978 critique of natural language programming remains relevant to current AI discussions.

RANK_REASON Cluster consists of social media posts sharing and discussing a historical essay, not a new event.

Read on Mastodon — mastodon.social →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 2 sources. How we write summaries →

Dijkstra's 1978 critique of natural language programming resurfaces

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Commentary
Cluster consists of social media posts sharing and discussing a historical essay, not a new event.
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2 independent sources
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opinion, other
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COVERAGE [2]

  1. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    On the foolishness of «natural language programming» – prof.dr.Edsger W.Dijkstra (1978) https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD06xx/EWD667.html https:

    On the foolishness of «natural language programming» – prof.dr.Edsger W.Dijkstra (1978) https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD06xx/EWD667.html https:// fsolt.es/2026/11/on-the-foolis hness-of-natural-language-programming-prof-dr-edsger-w-dijkstra-1978/

    LINKS cs.utexas.edu/…/EWD667.html
  2. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    I wonder what Dijkstra would think of today's CS world. On the foolishness of "natural language programming" by prof.dr.Edsger W.Dijkstra https://www. cs.utexas

    I wonder what Dijkstra would think of today's CS world. On the foolishness of "natural language programming" by prof.dr.Edsger W.Dijkstra https://www. cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcripti ons/EWD06xx/EWD667.html # AI # CS # computing

    LINKS cs.utexas.edu/…/EWD667.html

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