Barbara Liskov
Developed the Liskov Substitution Principle and a pioneer in programming language design.
Most quoted
"If for each object o1 of type S there is an object o2 of type T such that for all programs P defined in terms of T, the behavior of P remains unchanged when o1 is substituted for o2, then S is a subtype of T."
— from A Behavioral Notion of Subtyping, 1994
"If for each object o1 of type S there is an object o2 of type T such that for all programs P defined in terms of T, the behavior of P is unchanged when o1 is substituted for o2 then S is a subtype of T."
— from Paper, 1987
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
— from Attributed (often to Saint-Exupéry, but used in her context)
All quotes by Barbara Liskov (315)
Mentorship plays a vital role in the development of future generations of computer scientists.
The beauty of computer science lies in its ability to solve complex problems with elegant solutions.
Good design is about making the right choices at the right time.
Simplicity is a virtue in software design.
The cost of fixing errors increases dramatically as software development progresses.
Testing is an important part of ensuring software quality, but it cannot prove correctness.
The power of abstraction lies in its ability to manage complexity.
A well-defined interface is crucial for independent development and maintenance of modules.
The Liskov Substitution Principle is often misunderstood, but its core idea is simple: subtypes should not break the contracts of their supertypes.
Behavioral subtyping is about preserving the observable behavior of a type.
The success of a programming language depends on its ability to support good programming practices.
Abstract data types provide a powerful mechanism for organizing and structuring programs.
The design of a system should prioritize clarity and understandability.
Robustness is a key attribute of high-quality software.
The future of computing lies in distributed and parallel systems.
I believe that the most important thing we can do is to teach people how to think clearly and logically.
The beauty of computer science lies in its ability to create new worlds and solve complex problems.
Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. Innovation often comes from questioning established norms.
The Liskov Substitution Principle is not just a rule; it's a way of thinking about software design.
Finding elegant solutions to difficult problems is what truly excites me.
Contemporaries of Barbara Liskov
Other Computer Sciences born within 50 years of Barbara Liskov (1939).