Growing a Language (1998) [pdf]

This is the text from a very clever 1998 OOPSLA keynote, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ahvzDzKdB0

"Master plans have two additional unhealthy characteristics. To begin with, the existence of a master plan alienates the users ... After all, the very existence of a master plan means, by definition, that the members of the community can have little impact on the future shape of their community, because most of the important decisions have already been made. In a sense, under a master plan people are living with a frozen future, able to affect only relatively trivial details. When people lose the sense of responsibility for the environment they live in, and realize that they are merely cogs in someone else’s machine, how can they feel any sense of identification with the community, or any sense of purpose there?"

Here's a fine description of my despair under socialism. sigh

I've had a printed copy of this speech since I was in junior high; it's so good, even if you don't plan to go into CS.

I get "Forbidden" too.

update : after trying for a 10 min , I could dl it.

I get a 403 on this link. The running theme is that Guy Steele avoids using multi-syllable terms in the talk without defining them first. Getting only the slides dampens the impact a lot. Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ahvzDzKdB0