"All programmers are playwrights and all computers…

“All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors” is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on many images. The saying was posted on the newsgroup rec.humor on April 20, 1991, and is of unknown authorship.

Google Groups: rec.humor
A jester’s tale…
Simos Hadjiyiannis
4/20/91
(...)
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.

Google Groups: rec.humor
Science Jokes (4/10) : computer science
Joachim Verhagen
11/21/94
(...)
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.

Google Groups: comp.std.c++
Proposal for Addition to STL
Vic Hargrave
4/11/95
(...)
Vic Hargrave
Endeavor Information systems
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
—All programmers are playwrighta and all computers are lousy actors.

Google Groups: alt.test
Test Tag line
Jack Bone
9/9/98
(...)
Debugging: removing bugs. Programming: putting them in
-or-
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors

Google Books
Enterprise Application Integration
By David S. Linthicum
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
1999
Pg. 119:
‘All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.” -Anonymous

Google Groups: news.admin.net-abuse.sightings
[email] All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors
Mike Stewart
1/6/03

28 July 2004, The Times-Transcript (Moncton, NB), “Quote of the Day”:
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.
Unknown

Google Books
Smarter Business Start-ups:
Tips and techniques to start your dream business
By Jon Smith
Oxford, UK: The Infinite Ideas COmpany Limited
2005
Pg. 201:
‘All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.’
ANONYMOUS

Twitter
Silicon Wisdom
@siwisdom
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.
10:47 PM - 13 Oct 2007

Twitter
FBA Magazine‏
@FBA_Mag
“All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.” -Unknown #Quoteoftheday
2:53 PM - 15 Jun 2017

Twitter
DT
@DeeeeTeeee
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors. -Anonymous
5:53 AM - 7 Apr 2018