A: Okay. This is a must. We’ll just pretend that we’re organizing a fantasy programming team here at the retired programmer’s home and I am the manager.
C: I would like to know some of the names of some of the programming languages so I’ll know ’em and can call ’em properly when I meet a programmer and want to know if he knows one and can write “Hello” or not.
A: Oh sure. But you know they used to give programming languages very basic names. You know, like Programming Language One, ABC, . . .C: BASIC. I know ’em all.
A: BASIC. Ha, ha! Well, let’s see. We have on our team, Who is on first using A.
C: A what? What are you asking me for? I don’t know.
A: I Dont Know’s on third with C.
C: See what?
A: What’s on second recursing with B — bon courage! He likes those sorts of programs.
C: What sorts?
A: Oh yes. But What is sort of out of sorts after sorting so many sorts of data.1
C: Say again.
A: I Dont Know’s on third with C. What’s on second using B for sorting. And Who’s on first with A.
C: What is the name of this post? 2
A: Naturally! ‘What’ is a homonym.
C: I don't know. You tell me.
A: Tomorrow.
- See The Art of Computer Programming, vol. 3, chapter 5 (2nd edition, p. 2).
- Martin Gardner called What is the name of this book? by Raymond Smullyan “the most original, most profound, and most humorous collection of recreational logic and math problems ever written.”
“23 ACROSS”? WHERE’D YOU EVER GET A NAME LIKE THAT?
MY PARENTS GOT IT FROM A CROSSWORD PUZZLE.
IT SAID 23 ACROSS WAS A LUMINOUS INSECT.
— PROFESSOR YORGLE & 23 ACROSS
in
a King Aroo comic
by Jack Kent
