Comment Re:Crazy guy, crazy language (Score 1) 279
I have to agree. I was more or less forced to learn Perl when I started serious support of web sites, and at that stage (about four years ago) it was maybe my 20th programming language (I started with Algol 60 in 1967...).
Crazy syntax. The fact that Wall's stated aim was to have almost any string "mean something" in Perl did NOT help an experienced programmer trying to learn exactly what the damned stuff DID mean. Object-oriented programming? I have studied OO languages starting with SmallTalk in 1974, and while you can get object-oriented concepts working in Perl the ideas involved are certainly not intuitive or obvious.
Perl is a fine example of what happens when a good idea is twisted WAY too far in an attempt to achieve world domination (really: to widen its range of applicability beyond what is sensible :-)It's a great hacking language which has got too big for its boots.
Wall is a way-above-average programmer who needs to take a step back and come up with another very good idea.
Crazy syntax. The fact that Wall's stated aim was to have almost any string "mean something" in Perl did NOT help an experienced programmer trying to learn exactly what the damned stuff DID mean. Object-oriented programming? I have studied OO languages starting with SmallTalk in 1974, and while you can get object-oriented concepts working in Perl the ideas involved are certainly not intuitive or obvious.
Perl is a fine example of what happens when a good idea is twisted WAY too far in an attempt to achieve world domination (really: to widen its range of applicability beyond what is sensible
Wall is a way-above-average programmer who needs to take a step back and come up with another very good idea.
