Learn from the wisdom of Unix gods when writing software:

  • Small is beautiful.
  • Make each program do one thing well.
  • Build a prototype as soon as possible.
  • Prefer flat ASCII files to binary and databases. (With exception of SQLite3.)
  • Reuse code to leverage your advantage.
  • Use shell scripts to increase leverage.
  • Avoid captive, blocking user interfaces.
  • Make every program a filter (when applicable.)
  • Allow the user to tailor the environment.
  • Use lowercase and keep it short.
  • Silence is golden.
  • Think parallel (when applicable.)
  • The sum of the parts is greather than the whole.
  • Look for the 90% solution.
  • Worse is better.
  • Think hierarchically.