Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by amelius 1655 days ago
Apparently they didn't have any programmers on staff.
1 comments

They probably knew enough to know that it wouldn't be a valid program, but it's the best compromise, being recognizable and still funny for the lay person. Any modification to it would make it distinctly less funny.
Why does the theorem need to be precise, whereas the program doesn't?
Because the theorem itself isn't funny. The context is. If the theorem was funny but not accurate, I'd be defending that too. The show is a comedy first and foremost.
It is a joke throwing back to BASIC syntax. Jokes don't have to be precise.