X-Nico

3 unusual facts about The Art of Computer Programming


History of sentence spacing

However, the reason Donald Knuth gave for creating the TeX typesetting system was his dismay on receiving the proofs of a new edition of his book The Art of Computer Programming at the unreadability of the then new close-fitted phototypesetting technology, which he described as "awful" due to its "poor spacing".

Mac and Mc together

3 of his The Art of Computer Programming gave a listing showing the operation of around 40 rules, of which "Mc = Mac" was one, for library card sorting.

Tea with the Black Dragon

Mayland Long, an Asian gentleman, who is skilled in languages, including those used for computer programming (he settles down to read Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming with a “contented sigh”) and who may be a transformed 2,000 year old Chinese dragon, aids Martha in her search for her daughter.


Dmitry Mirimanoff

Therefore, Donald Knuth, who has read Renault's article, will credit Mirimanoff instead of André in future printings of Volume 1 of his monograph The Art of Computer Programming.


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