''The Tao of Programming'' is a book written in 1987 by
Geoffrey James. Written in a
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
style spoof of classic
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
texts such as the ''
Tao Te Ching
The ''Tao Te Ching'' (, ; ) is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion d ...
'' and ''
Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to:
* ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism
**Zhuang Zhou
Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...
'' which belies its serious message, it consists of a series of short anecdotes divided into nine "books":
* ''The Silent Void''
* ''The Ancient Masters''
* ''Design''
* ''Coding''
* ''Maintenance''
* ''Management''
* ''Corporate Wisdom''
* ''Hardware and Software''
* ''Epilogue''
Geoffrey James wrote two other books on this theme, ''
The Zen of Programming'' (978-0931137099) in 1988 and ''
Computer Parables: Enlightenment in the Information Age'' (978-0931137136) in 1989.
See also
*
Hacker koan
References
External links
The Tao of Programming
Software development books
1987 non-fiction books
Computer humor
Satirical books
Taoism in popular culture
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