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Dijkstra's 1978 critique of natural language programming resurfaces

Original: The foolishness of "natural language programming" (1978)

Edsger W. Dijkstra's 1978 essay arguing against the idea of programming in natural language is drawing renewed attention. In the piece, Dijkstra contended that natural languages are too ambiguous for precise computation and that formal notation is essential to programming. Readers are debating whether his warnings still hold as AI coding tools promise plain-English programming.

Why now: Interest in AI-assisted, plain-English coding is prompting a fresh look at Dijkstra's classic arguments against natural language programming.

Edsger W. DijkstraUniversity of Texas at Austin

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• The foolishness of "natural language programming" (1978) · xiaoyu2006 · 388

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