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Perl Programming

Perl 5.6.0 Out 133

brockgr was the first to note that Perl 5.6.0 has been released and has begun propagating through CPAN. Anyone have a changelog or something I can link to?
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Perl 5.6.0 Out

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  • by Anonymous Coward
    Unquoted string "post" may clash with future reserved word
  • by Anonymous Coward
    Yeah, something everybody already knows... unless they know that Perl is far superior to Python, which everybody already knows.

    Oops, wait, except for the people who know that Common Lisp is superior to either Perl OR Python, which everybody already knows.

    Ack! But I forgot about all the people who are dead certain that pouring hot grits down their pants is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, which everybody already knows!!!

    Come off it, people. This reminds me of two lines from the movie "Babe":

    "Fly spoke very slowly [to the sheep], for it was a cold fact of nature that sheep were stupid, and nothing could convince her otherwise." ...
    "The sheep spoke very slowly [to Fly], for it was a cold fact of nature that wolves were ignorant, and nothing could convince them otherwise."

    Geez.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    Doug sent mail to the mod_perl list this morning that he's sent version 1.22 on to CPAN. In the list of changes is:

    > compile fixes for 5.6 + -Duse5005threads
    > [Lincoln Stein <lstein@cshl.org>]

    I haven't grabbed it yet to try it, but then again I've also only just grabbed 5.6.

  • I just noticed Gurusamay's comment in the interview, that moving to 5.6.x will "help Perl conform to some conventions that are emerging in the Open Source community".

    I guess these would be the emerging conventions that the FSF was using back in the late 1980s...

    (A minor niggle in an otherwise fine interview)

  • Modula-3 is not part of the FreeBSD base install. You are probably getting confused with the fact that a lot of FreeBSD users rely on CVSup [polstra.com], which is used for source-code updates and is written in Modula-3. Most of the time, you don't even need to install Modula-3 at all, you can just use the pre-built binaries of CVSup.

    OBTroll: If you're thinking of Modula-3, look at Python [python.org] :-)

  • You'd probably want Python [python.org] instead for larger applications. Its large standard library and object model makes handling large projects quite easy. Python is a very nice language, for all sized projects.

    --
  • Offtopic? How would you argue that discussion of a programming language does not belong in a discussion of programming languages? I responded to a query on the use of Perl as an alternative to C++ with a suggestion to try Python, because I like it better than Perl. It couldn't get any more "on-topic". Are you that stuck on Perl that you can't even discuss the alternatives?

    Maybe it's only the ones that begin with "p"...

    --

  • > Bottom line - languages that make you think like a computer don't stand the test of time.

    You mean languages like C? :-)
  • Here's an example from perlre.pod that shows how balanced parenthesized groups can be matched. $re = qr{ \( (?: (?> [^()]+ ) # Non-parens without backtracking | (?p{ $re }) # Group with matching parens )* \) }x; print $& if "abc(def(),ghi());" =~ $re; __END__ (def(),ghi())

    Can anyone explain this to a C/C++/Java geek? Thanks.

  • Perl is fine for big apps. The complications are:

    1. Like all interpreted languages, you'll need to keep track of the modules rather than linking it all up into a single binary.
    2. Perl is a damn sight slower than C. It's probably the fastest interpreted language (Pike may outspeed it), but don't use if for flight sims or Quake clones. However most user apps spend nearly all their time waiting for something to happen, so it would be fine for that kind.
    3. Perl lets you express in code exactly what you intend, how you intend. If you intend spaghetti code, rushed unreadable hacks, and violating modular interfaces, perl will do that too.
    4. If you want to interface to a library or a part of the system that nobody's yet written a stock module for, you're going to have to glue it together in C. Likeise if you want to get creative and use something the way a wrapper-module designer hadn't thought of.
  • I have an idea: stop feeding the troll.
  • Seems to me that if you recompile mod_perl with 5.6 it should work just fine.
  • Funny, I could say the same thing about your posts. Twice I have counted, in one glimpse of your page, you bitching and moaning like a teenage ho0r because someone happened to mention python. OH NO! IT ISN'T SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PERL 5,6! DIE DIE DIE DIE!
    Get over your friggin ego trip foo! Someone asked a question about perl, and someone answered it. He also mentioned a viable alternative.

  • it's perfectly possible to write programs in Perl that are absolutely crystal clear

    Yeah, that's true: All you have to do is ignore every single common Perl coding idiom and 90% of the features of the language.

    No, that's how you make Perl programs clear to C programmers; Perl programmers understand Perl idioms.

  • Yeah he's a felon but it isn't what you think. It's not really his fault, he isn't in the wrong. And its Randal with one 'l' for god's sake.

    If you think you know what the hell is going on you're probably full of shit. -- Robert Anton Wilson
  • Oh, to find out what he did search google for FORS (friends of Randal Schwartz)

    If you think you know what the hell is going on you're probably full of shit. -- Robert Anton Wilson
  • My suggested moderation tip for the above post

    Chris
  • This has nothing to do with a new Perl release, and, *SIGH*, you used your +1 bonus to post it as well.

    Chris
  • At least I didn't use my +1 bonus to do it

    After which I stupidly sent the above reply without disabling my bonus :-(

    Oh, well....

    Chris
  • First of all see my reply to the above critic for the bulk of my answer.

    Offtopic? How would you argue that discussion of a programming language does not belong in discussion of programming languages?

    This is a discussion of one particular programming language, specifically Perl, and specifically the new release.

    I responded to a query on the use of Perl as an alternative to C++ with a suggestion to try Python, because I like it better than Perl.

    Does this mean that a valid answer to someone asking about the Usefulness of Linux in a discussion about a new release of Linux is: 'I like Windows better, because the GUI is much more intuitive'? That would probably even get marked as a troll.

    He was asking to what degree Perl could replace C++, namely: completely? Only for small stuff?

    It couldn't get any more "on-topic".

    Well, it could have if you had said one single thing answering his question, or had at least made concrete comparisons about why Python might be more suitable which most Python trolls do.

    Are you that stuck on Perl that you can't even discuss the alternatives?

    No. If that's what the discussion is about. There was a discussion specifically addressing the comparison between Perl and Python just a few weeks ago on Slashdot; I found that very enjoyable since a lot of points were raised about Python's strengths which intrigued me enough that I might try it someday. But, I'm getting really tired of Python advocates jumping into every Perl-specific discussion like a bad Energizer-Bunny commercial saying 'Python, Python!'

    Let me ask you: 'Are you so stuck on Python that you can't even let discussions about other languages remain about the other languages?'

    Chris
  • Do we have lhs subroutine calls yet? If not, I'm not interested. :) (I'm still waiting for list pattern matching a la Haskerl anyway... heh.)

    Now excuse me while I go look for the MacPerl update...
  • Yeah, I was working on that one. It's availble here.

    Ah, service with a smile. :-) That should do the trick. [Moderators: please bink up the above post rather than the Changelog one.]

  • hmm... maybe now I can get my girlfriend interested in programming :)
  • If you want to write bigger applications in perl, that works too, but the language itself doesn't force you to write good, elegant code. Many use this as an argument against perl, but I think it should be the programmers responsibility.
    Right. I'm aware of TimToady (I can't remember the correct acronym). Is there a limit to the size of an application you would write in Perl? What I'm getting at is could I drop C++ and write all my applications in Perl or is it better suited for quick hacks and data massaging?
    --
  • Fucking retard.
    How nice.

    (or you WOULD use, if you weren't such a poseur)
    Once again, very nice.

    Stop posting flamebait, and go back to chronic masturbation.
    Please stop, I'm blushing.

    It would be nice if you would recognize the difference between flamebait and a serious attempt to discuss something.

    Your answers are helpfull, and I thank you.

    Of course, if the future, if you feel the need to insult me, have the BALLS to post using your name.
    --
  • I'm played with Perl a bit (4 hours) and I see where it could be usefull.

    Can anyone provide me with a good argument for using Perl or provide some examples of where Perl is used? I know /. uses Perl, but what else does?

    It's on the list of things to learn, but I'm just asking for the /. opinion on the subject.
    --
  • ya know.... for some some reason that just f***ing cracks me up. The midi file of the Andy Griffith theme song playing over and over again just really tops it off.

    Bravo.. you with way way way too much time on your hands.. that's the best laugh I've had in a while!!!
  • *Regexps- Perl has an extremely complete regexp syntax built in

    Yes. I would go as far to say this is one of Perl's crown jewels.

    *scalars- Although it is conceptually strange, perl's use of a single "scalar" data type
    (as opposed to string, int, and float) makes life a lot easier [...]

    *Hashes- Hashes kick ass, and perl has them built-in [....]

    *Arrays- No, arrays are not unique to perl, but perl makes better use of them [...] In particular, the foreach command [...]

    *Syntactic sugar- Perl is very un-picky about things like parenthesis, and has a number of ways to input and format data [...]


    All of these things are nice, but none of them are really unique to Perl. They're fairly common in any "very high level language." PHP is one example that springs to mind. Probably the biggest thing Perl has going for it is the fact that is "community support/ease of use" ratio is very good. This is similar to Visual Basic on the Widnows side of things, and AppleScript on the Mac. PHP is quickly getting there as well. It's tempting to say Python as well, but my feeling is that there's a bit more of a conceptual learning curve there. Object orientation just requires a different way of thinking that has the potential to be confusing for newbies.

    Many languages have either ease of use or a strong community (the two often conflict), but when you get the two together, you get a very practical language.

    - Scott


    ------
    Scott Stevenson
  • Hmmm, more great use of the 'Flaimbait' tag in the pull-down. I hope the moderator just missed, and will reply to the thread to remove that... M2 should help take care of it, I'd think.
  • True enough, but it was asked for - the Linux changelogs aren't nearly that interesting, either, but they still get linked.

    (Guess I'm trying to burn off some of that excess karma today)
  • > You mean languages like C? :-)

    C isn't dead but apparently helloworld.c [segfault.org] died recently.
  • Until you get moderation points why don't you keep your moderating opinions to yourself. If you don't like it, have you metamoderated today? I see you are spamming across all replies to a particular thread. Just a suggestion, if you view in threads mode, you don't have to dig into a discussion that you are not interested in.
  • Ok now we really are offtopic. :) But I think it is worth discussing since you seem pretty reasonable.

    If it really is offtopic, the moderators decide that it is offtopic. They don't need you to tell them how to moderate.

    Metamoderation: Metamoderation is the place to criticize unfair moderation. Oops, I guess you can't moderate the absense of moderation, so my comment was a non-sequiter. However. Most posts like yours are "How can this be offtopic, moderators are smoking crack!" In that case metamoderation is the answer; however, 99% of the time it is Anonymous Cowards that whine about it, and there is no reason to straighten them out (they won't read it, and they can't metamoderate anyway). The similarity made me mention it accidentally.

    This was a C++ programmer wondering if he should move to perl for large projects. The people who followed up know the object oriented similarities of C++ and Python, I presume, and said he might be better off using Python. This is not offtopic to the question. The discussion really is about the merits of languages.

    You just don't see that because you have some kind of beef with Python and/or Python advocates. (I am not a Python advocate, I've never used it, but I've used Perl and I'm relearning C++ (learning what is new in C++ since 1991 that is, STL, exceptions, etc.) I've read about Python and have a general idea of its philosophy so I can see where they are coming from)

    You would moderate them down because you disagree with them. That is against the moderation guidelines. If anything was offtopic, it should be the original question. Anything after that is fair game: opinions on what language to use.

    What if everyone replied to every post they thought should be moderated (let along disagreed with), "moderate this UP/DOWN" (I don't like the calls to "MODERATE THIS UP" either) it just adds to the noise.

    Ok, we may disagree whether or not the python people were offtopic. However, I hope I have at least convinced you that you ought not post comments saying that parent post should be moderated a certain way (I guess this would be a meta "OFFTOPIC" post, heh). Go ahead, post and flame the posters if you want with the same reasons you listed, but don't tell the moderators what to do.

    Posting with No Score +1 Bonus. :)
  • One more thing I forgot to address: SPAM.

    Your definition of spam is very limited. In the Monty Python skit (oops, I mentioned Python, didn't I?) everything on the menu contained spam. Likewise, something crossposted to every newsgroup is spam, or sent to every email address is spam. It just so happens that spam is usually unsolicited email. Hot Grits guy is posting spam (you get it with every story). You posting to every mention of python in a thread (ok, TWO) is, IMHO, spam. I never would have said anything about it if you hadn't done it as spam. A couple of us (ok, TWO) also made that the point of replying to you, the spam factor. It made it clear (since that is the trend between the replies) you were targetting python advocates. Ok, enough on this topic from me.
  • Variable intrepolation for string cat's

    $str = "Thank you $name you ordered $num items";

    Symbolic references

    $var = "temperature";
    $$var = 45 ;

    Eval with timer

    $SIG{ALRM} = \&SomeFunction();
    eval {
    alarm(5);

    # Insert Code that may block
    # or go into an uncontrolled loop.
    $input = STDIN ;

    }

    Of course all the reusable code on CPAN is reason enough...

  • brainless Tom Christiansen

    You can call Tom alot of things and I would probably agree with you but Brainless is not one of them...

    used to write toy scripts does not mean that it's useful for anything interesting.

    Ah you posting to one. Say what you like about /. but when you do point me to the equivalent written in any other environment.

  • Rambone, just 'cause you're a PERL zealot, did you really need to apply your +1 bonus to that post?
  • Oh dear.

    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

    Why does everybody have to be so....RUDE to each other?

    And before you go on with "He started it!", "No, HE started it!", just think for a moment. You are both to blame.

    No, Perl's not the be-all and end-all of programming. But No, Perl's not a worthless language either.

    All programming languages have their strong and weak points. And in the end, an algorithm can be implemented in just about any language.

    Perl is good for it's loose syntax, it's free-form nature, the size of it's function libraries, it's melding of a lot of nice ideas, and it's general ease of use.

    Java is good for it's strict OO-ness, it's syntax, the size of it's libraries, and it's inherent extensibility.

    Both are good for cross-platform apps. Both are good for network apps.

    C is good for it's extreme speed and low-level access, as is Assembly.

    C++ is good as an easier-to-use C.

    Haskell is good for it's fresh outlook on programming.

    And, yes, I program in all of them. And, no, I don't mean small scripts - I mean several-thousand lines of code applications (well, one or two :-).

    No programming language is all-round better than any other programming language. Deal with this.

    AND STOP FLAMING EACH OTHER!

    -Shane Stephens
  • Note the space between the two >'s in the last example. Without this space, the compiler would see a >> (right-shift) token instead of two >'s.

    And this is just one of MANY reasons why C++ SUCKS TOTALLY.


    Because you actually have to write code that parses unambigiously? Oh, poor baby! Of course, I'm sure you don't actually write code, you've just decided that C++ must suck (because don't all the other ACs say so?), and then you alternate between posting this opinion on slashdot and surfing for porn.
  • Errm, OK I'm a little biased, but Perl is more suited to quick hacks and text processing than full-blown applications. Try Python [python.org] for an alternative scripting language - it's very easy to learn, has loads of useful libraries included and its inbuilt OO makes it a lot easier to write larger programs in - here where I work we've got a scripting module as part of our application which is roughly 3-4 Mb of Python code which I can maintain and extend quite easily.

  • Doh!

    -- Jim
  • Does anyone know, how and when will perl 5.6 make it into mod_perl?

  • Yes it is.

    http://www.perl.com/pub/n/Perl_5.6.0_is_ out! [perl.com]

    The link is right there in the "What's new?" section of the www.perl.com home page.

  • I got that too, the first time I loaded the page. I suspect the web server is just groaning under the /. effect. (Could be worse -- at one time perl.com was serviced by a 2400-baud modem and a pile of redirect scripts.)
  • I see someone hasn't been reading their daily perl myth [perl.com]

    -ben
  • Please, if you want to understand this case read as much as you can possibly find. I found the FAQ the site listed above to be most helpful, it attempt to present unbiased answers about the case by compiling quotes from Mr. Schwartz, the police reports, and the involved Intel employees.

    This quick 'summary and editorial' is wrong. Randal Schwartz was not caught because he informed anyone about weak passwords, he was caught running crack on a machine that he was told not to have processes on. He was not cracking the password file of a machine he was responsible for, but another groups server without first discussing it with the system administators. Several times he installed back doors on Intel machines. Each time he was told to stop, he temporarily removed his program, then later either re-created his back door or moved it to another machine.

    Read all the info, make your own decision.
  • $p = new perl('5.6.0');
    $p->goodStuff;

    print "JAPH wanabe\n";
  • "Good argument":
    following is true in almost all cases:
    If you can do something in some language, you can do the same thing in perl, but faster.

    Perl is a language, where it's possible to make things in more than one way. Main object is to get things done.
    If you want to write bigger applications in perl, that works too, but the language itself doesn't force you to write good, elegant code. Many use this as an argument against perl, but I think it should be the programmers responsibility. The language should just provide a way to make things happen. That's what perl does.

    And for examples where perl is used, I suggest you do your web-search yourself.
  • The limit for maximum size of perl-written application comes from the computing power and memory available. You propably don't want to completely drop c++ for any language.

    I'm not one, who could define maximum size of application in any language, but I use following as a rule of thumb:
    If you want development speed, use perl. If you want run-time speed, use c++. If you want both, or something in between, use python (maybe combined with c++). And don't forget java for web-applications.
  • by Anonymous Coward
    it's attempt at object-orientation is a joke, something which even Bjarne Stroustrup would be ashamed of had he created it.

    While I would like to believe this, I strongly suspect its not true. Bjarne Stroustrup has shown no remorse for inflicting the disaster that is C++ upon the world. Indeed, you could argue that Larry Wall was merely the unwitting victim of a hacker culture that values the "quick and dirty hack" over the "spend some time thinking about it" approach. Unless you are a total moron (like the majority of Slashdot readers) you will realise that theoretically sound languages such as Modula-3 [m3.org] and Smalltalk [squeak.org] are the wave of the future. You either have TRUE strong typing (as in M3) or you GET RID OF TYPING ALLTOGETHER (as in Smalltalk). The half-assed fence-sitting characterised by C++ and Perl is typical of the shoddy thinking of many so-called computer experts (Stroustrup and Wall in particular).

    Now, of course I hate Perl and C++ as much as the next guy, but what I find more worrying is the underlying agenda of moral relativism implicit in Perl's slogan "there's more than one way to do it". It starts off with allowing the coder to use an associative array or a list, but eventually it will serve as a "gateway language" to even more screwed up languages such as TCL and Java, and from there onto "alternative" lifestyles, body piercing and fringe politics like Socialism.

    While banning Perl superficially seems like a very attractive solution to the problem, look deeper and you will see this is not the answer. Banning Perl will simply drive it underground, and make it all the more attractive to young impressionable coders. Far better to educate these youngsters that there are safer alternatives [python.org] out there, and they won't be labelled as "square" for using them. After all, who is more "cool" - the ravaged and weary Perl addict slumped over his poorly documented spaghetti code that looks like line noise, or the bright eyed and alert young coder with his clear and easily understood Python source ?

    thank you.

  • I fear the next perl upgrade... I mean, I don't think it'll be as bad as the last (hopefully, they'll have learned something from the last one) but one can never know.

    The reason the last one was so bad was to clear the way for easy inclusion and cohabitation of future versions. Adding 5.6 to Debian unstable should now be a simple matter of uploading new packages, so I'd expect we'll see it as soon as the perl maintainer gets them built... hopefully very soon. :)

  • Its not quite a changelog, but the vast bulk of the info that people want is here [mpe.mpg.de] .
  • I fear the next perl upgrade... I mean, I don't think it'll be as bad as the last (hopefully, they'll have learned something from the last one) but one can never know. Damn...
    ~luge
  • #!/usr/bin/perl

    BEGIN {
    unless(eval "require 5.6") {
    print "Watcha waiting for? Upgrade to 5.6!\n"
    }
    }

    END {
    print "Another useless program by EraseMe\n";
    }
  • Of course, the Perl equivalent of the 4 Mb of Python code take only 30 lines, giving it the image of a "quick hack and text processing" language not capable of doing "full-blown applications".

    I sincerely hope you're kidding. It's annoying that Perl can't be brought up without people screaming PYTHON!, but it's just as annoying to see people posting blind endorsements of Perl.

    I view Python as a syntactically cleaner Perl, with a somewhat functional bent. I think that a program could be accomplished in roughly the same amount of code in either languge. Personally I find that Perl's dogma of TMTOWTDI allows me to get away with things that come back and haunt me later.

    All these language wars really come down to personal preference, and no amount of arguing is going to change that. For some people Perl is better because it fits how they think & program. For some people it might be Python.

    I think they both suck, and everyone should program in either C or LISP. So learn to deal with the fact that people have different opinions without acting like an idiot.

  • Moderators, why is that flamebait?

    Anyway, here are some of the reasons I like perl:

    (Disclaimer: have not used Python perhaps it has these features)

    *Regexps- Perl has an extremely complete regexp syntax built in, allowing you to do in one line what can take a dozen lines in Java or C.

    *scalars- Although it is conceptually strange, perl's use of a single "scalar" data type
    (as opposed to string, int, and float) makes life a lot easier when you're doing something like writing a cgi script.

    *Hashes- Hashes kick ass, and perl has them built-in using a simple, straightforward syntax. There are some jobs that are made extremely simple with hashes, and would be extremely difficult without them.

    *Arrays- No, arrays are not unique to perl, but perl makes better use of them than most other languages. In particular, the foreach command and the various ways of manipulating them is nice.

    *Syntactic sugar- Perl is very un-picky about things like parenthesis, and has a number of ways to input and format data, including string interpolation, the qw() command, the => syntax, etc.

    No, perl is not the best language if you're building a large software project, but that's not what it's designed for. It doesn't handle complex data types because it's a scripting language, and it's designed to deal with text. It does a damn good job of simple text manipulation. For the things it's designed for, it can turn a page of code into just a few lines. And yes the object oriented syntax needs a lot of work.

    And you're right about perl being rather cryptic. I love writing reqexps that look like line noise. It makes me feel 3l337.
  • I'm not sure what FAQ you're referring two, on
    which of the two sites.

    I was just reading through it all again,
    And here's some highlights, in my opinion:

    An Intel VP
    confessed on the stand to a more serious infraction of Oregon's
    computer crime law. And the Washington County D.A.'s office, which so
    eagerly talked tough when facing the powerless Randal, has observed a
    demure silence on this topic.



    * No evidence that Intel disapproved of Randal's behavior exists,
    except as remembered after the decision was made to prosecute
    him. Not so much as a hand-written note indicates anyone had a
    problem with Randal beforehand.



    * In other contexts, Intel had previously authorized Randal to
    commit both the acts allegedly unauthorized in this instance:
    cracking passwords and building a gateway to the Internet.



    The prosecutor: "I don't represent Intel." The judge: "Not yet."


    The Associated Press: "Intel Corp. is handing the local
    police $100,000 to have two detectives concentrate their
    computer theft efforts at the company."

  • And for those of you too lazy to follow that link, allow me to summarize and editorialize a bit:

    Randal Schwartz was working as a contractor at Intel, and ran into a situation where he cracked some passwords as a matter of expediency. He reported the bad passwords to Intel (this is how he was "caught"). This was somewhat embarrassing to a certain VP of Intel, who was using the password "vicepresident". Intel then engaged in one of the ugliest, most pointless, displays of corporate muscle flexing I've ever heard of: they prosecuted Randal using some very screwy laws peculiar to Oregon.

    Lessons to be learned:

    1. Don't piss off wintel if you live in the Northwest.
    2. Buy AMDs, buy alphas... forget Intel.
    3. Don't let anyone label you a "hacker".

    There's another good website on the subject (the "Friends of Randal Schwartz") here:
    State of Oregon vs Randal Schwartz computer security case [lightlink.com]


  • See the perldelta [cpan.org] doc at search.cpan.org [cpan.org]

    /Alex
  • Until you get moderation points why don't you keep your moderating opinions to yourself.

    When, I get moderation points is exactly the time I do keep my moderating opinions to myself; then I just moderate. Since I don't have any, it is at least as valid to commment on the fact that the post was OT as it was to answer 'Python!' to a question about whether Perl is capable of something. This is very very common in threads dealing with Perl, and it gets old.

    If you don't like it, have you metamoderated today?

    ?? What does that have to do with offtopic posts?

    I see you are spamming across all replies to a particular thread.

    Two replies. Both answering 'Python' to Perl questions. Spam is unsolicited E-mail. I wasn't sending E-mail, and if it was unsolicited, so were the OT replies being discussed here. At least I didn't use my +1 bonus to do it.

    Just a suggestion, if you view in threads mode, you don't have to dig into a discussion that you are not interested in.

    You mean the discussion labeled: 'Usefullness of Perl?' I'm interested in that; isn't that where people talk about the strengths and weaknesses of Perl?

    In fact here's the original question (in part):

    Can anyone provide me with a good argument for using Perl or provide some examples of where Perl is used? I know /. uses Perl, but what else does?

    and the followup:

    Is there a limit to the size of an application you would write in Perl? What I'm getting at is could I drop C++ and write all my applications in Perl or is it better suited for quick hacks and data massaging?

    I'm sorry but there is no opening for Python there unless this really is a general discussion about the relative merits of different languages.

    If the two replies in question had perhaps changed their subject lines to match the content of their postings I probably wouldn't have said anything, and threaded mode would have been of some use.

    Chris
  • Funny, I could say the same thing about your posts.

    True. Which is why I labeled them as such in the subjects.

    Twice I have counted, in one glimpse of your page, you bitching and moaning like a teenage ho0r because someone happened to mention python.

    Hmmm... I thought I said it pretty low-key, I even posted without a +1 keep the thread low-profile. Oh, well I guess I'll tone it down next time ;-)

    Get over your friggin ego trip foo!

    Ummm... how do you define ego trip here? Criticism?

    Someone asked a question about perl, and someone answered it.

    Who answered it? Not the replies I criticized; #75 [slashdot.org] and #132 [slashdot.org] below were the ones who addressed the question and I didn't get up in arms about the mention of Python there...

    Chris

    Chris
  • Rob,

    The Changes file is 1.4MB, not really practical to post here.

    what am I saying? now some KW is going to try. I hope there is a good size limitation on comments

    chris
  • When I'm in hackermode, I use elvis 'cause it doesn't try to shove ideology down my throat. But ocassionally there comes the time when I need to massive, bloated and overloaded monstrosity to edit a memo and do my dishes simultaneously. When that time comes I don't use emacs. Instead I turn to XEmacs! Just a big, but copyrighted by a defunct corporation.
  • The new regexp feature seems more generic than a simple balanced token matcher.

    Yeah, for sufficient values of "new". Perl 5.005 could do that. Noone used it though...

    -- Abigail

  • Python doesn't have the speed of C, or even of Perl and C++. Python doesn't have the robustness of Ada. There's no Python standard. There isn't the strictness and implementation hiding of Eiffel. Python is a nice language, but like any other language, it isn't suitable for everything. Only zealots claim so.

    -- Abigail

  • Errm, OK I'm a little biased, but Perl is more suited to quick hacks and text processing than full-blown applications.

    ...we've got a scripting module as part of our application which is roughly 3-4 Mb of Python code which I can maintain and extend quite easily.

    Of course, the Perl equivalent of the 4 Mb of Python code take only 30 lines, giving it the image of a "quick hack and text processing" language not capable of doing "full-blown applications".

    -- Abigail

  • Of course, if it matches balanced expressions, than it is no longer just a regexp handler, but actually can accept any context-free grammar.

    This is actually quite cool. Theyove gone from finite-state automata to push-down automata. Anyone have money on when Perl will be able to handle Turing machines (and hence perform any Von Neumann-computable operation) within its 'regexps'?

    Perl is so cool...

  • mybox$ perl -v

    This is perl, v5.6.0 built for i686-linux

    Copyright 1987-2000, Larry Wall

    Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
    GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5.0 source kit.

    Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on
    this system using `man perl' or `perldoc perl'. If you have access to the
    Internet, point your browser at http://www.perl.com/, the Perl Home Page.

    Installation is identical to earlier versions, no differences. Didn't attempt to use the same Policy.sh, though.


    Cthulhu for President! [cthulhu.org]
  • they went from Perl 5.005 to Perl 5.6 because they didn't want to release this as 5.006


    Though I'm not on the team, I think the main reason for their change in notation is because they now can version correctly.
    Previously the notation was "%d.%0.3d_%0.3d". This becomes a floating point ( underscores are ignored in numeric values ). It was a hack to allow sub-minor versioning. There is now a new versioning symantic as follows:
    "v5.6.7"

    The "v" prefix tells it that it's a multi-dot number. Basically it just converts to the equiv asci values ( thus I think you're limited to 255 per dot ).

    But we can now say
    require v5.6.2.1 if we were so inclined. Thus, the left padded zeros are of no further value.

    -Michael
  • *New versioning representation for modules ( v1.2.3.4 ).

    More portible ( though still experimental ) multi-threading model. Contains seperate interpreters per thread. ( old model is still available through compilation flags )

    Incrementally better warning messages

    -W option to replace -w ( provides even more debugging info )

    *Enhancement of POD modules and joining with getopt to allow a help argument to dump the POD directly.

    *New "our" keyword, which is like my but for global variables ( replaces "use vars qw(foo bar)" with "our ( $foo, $bar )" ). The advantage is when specifying data-types for global variables.

    UTF-8 support ( blah )

    More direct use of subroutine attributes
    was:
    sub foo {
    use attrs qw( method locked );
    ...
    }

    Now:
    sub foo : method locked {
    }

    Optimization of qw( foo bar zap ). Now performs split at compile time instead of run-time.

    *Auto file-handles

    open my $handle, "file.txt";
    Generates a file handle automagically.

    *open() now accepts a 3'rd argument ( file-mod )

    *Binary symantic: 0b01010101010

    Better 64 bit support

    Optimized sort { block } @data.

    Allows sort to act like a function call for the following:
    sub foo($$) { $_[0] $_[1] }

    And
    sort $coderef @array;
    allowed

    File globs are more consistent.

    New "CHECK" block, which acts like the "END" block, except is called at the end of compilation.

    pack enhancements included template comments ( like reg-exes )

    *Weak references. Thus you can cache objects without fear of memory leaks ( or have c-style trees or doublly linked lists )

    exists and delete now function on array elements.

    Better typed class support with fields::new().

    Reg Ex:
    POSIX [[: :]] character classes supported.

    More convinient Benchmark module.

    Several CPAN modules are now part of the basic distribution.

    -Michael
  • I must say; I just love that new regexp feature (i.e. matching balanced tokens). That's what I've been missing for years. I always had to come up with some hacky way of doing it in the end.

    And even better. The new regexp feature seems more generic than a simple balanced token matcher. I mean, it could match things like (matching text in bold):

    ... <FOO>sometext <FOO>blah "...</FOO>..." blah</FOO> moretext</FOO> ...
    I've never tried this mind you. From the example on the reference page I would guess that this was fairly simple to accomplish though. Oh joy. Try to do that with any other regexp engine.
  • Perl reflects this attitude: it encourages lax syntax

    "There's more than one way to do it" should not be confused with "lax" in the negative sense - to most of us who scoff at "bondage" languages like Java, this flexibility is key.

    which in turn encourages programmers to use poor algorithims and data structures.

    Uh-huh. Besides the fact that sorting and hashes are built-in and their implementations obscured?

    It is in fact impossible to write structured code in Perl

    Don't project your coding inadequacies onto us. If you'd prefer Gosling and Co. to dictate style to you, enjoy. Some of us like freedom.

    Quite frankly, the best solution to the problem of Perl (and worse, Perl progammers) is to simply ban it

    blah blah blah...and off into troll country you go. Thanks for playing.

  • You're full of vitriol aren't you? Once you lose your virginity this will all pass.

    Think about the fact that C is extremely close to perl in many ways - both are paradigm-agnostic, and both implement a struct/pointer model as the highest abstraction for user types. Perl's object model is completely is nothing more than references and packages, which is completely analogous to the C model, only at a slightly higher level.

    C and Perl have nothing to do with Java in any way that is meaningful. Java is a single paradigm language.

  • you will realise that theoretically sound languages such as Modula-3 and Smalltalk are the wave of the future.

    M3's only claim to fame is to be part of the FreeBSD base install. Smalltalk? It had its day in the sun, and now its gone. You can "squeak" about is supposed resugence all you want (pun intended), but the truth of the matter is that its all but disappeared from the radar.

    LISP is the only "theorectically clean" language to survive over the long haul, and even it is considered fringe thesedays. Bottom line - languages that make you think like a computer don't stand the test of time.

    but what I find more worrying is the underlying agenda of moral relativism implicit in...more blah blah blah intellectual masturbation.

  • Oh, so Perl is like Java, then.

    No, perl's license and source are open. Java's source and license are not.

    Given the drivel in the rest of your post, its amusing how you rant about "the downfall of slashdot".

  • So let's discuss the points of his that you ignored, like for example the fact that Perl zealots like you are mindless flamers

    I don't respond to meaningless trolls. Its called "taking the high ground".

    With the exception of the loathsome and brainless Tom Christiansen
    ...
    This is because it is a worthless language
    ...
    you're a mindless moron yammering

    Nice trolls. Actually, they aren't really imaginative or even amusing.

  • #define VALID_POINTS

    Ooops - precompiler error - you had no valid points.

  • +1 bonus or not, rambone is getting his ASS kicked!

    Don't flatter yourself - this troll war isn't hurting anyone's pride, least of which mine.

  • If I don't like "Gosling and Co." dictating style, then is it ok for ANSI to do it?

    They might be slow as molasses, but they certainly have made more mature design decisions than you-know-who.

    By the way, how is that ANSI-standard Perl coming?

    The fact that it is open source obviates the need for an ANSI standard - the reference is the implementation, which is open, and your ability to deviate from this reference is clearly spelled out in the Artistic license.

  • C's flexibility comes from the fact that its so darn small. You're free to implement C in any number of paradigms you see fit, from functional to OO.
  • Thanks for proving that you know nothing outside of your little Perl box.

    Uh-huh. I can keep trolling as long as you can.

  • A quick visit to www.perl.com [perl.com] reveals that what has just been released is Release Candidate 3, which is still beta. Close, but still beta.

    Hmmmm. The site in question is a little unclear, and I hope they will clarify things soon. I thought the release candidates were patches on 5.005_670, and that the actual release would be called 5.6.0. What is on the CPAN sites is "perl-5.6.0.tar.gz" and it has no qualification.

    I plan to wait for a clearer message from the developers, but what I see on the perl.com sites seems to point to this being the actual release.
    -----------------------------------------

  • by dlc ( 41988 ) <dlc@sevenroDEBIANot.org minus distro> on Thursday March 23, 2000 @04:57AM (#1180405) Homepage

    The change log is available here [sevenroot.org].

    darren


    Cthulhu for President! [cthulhu.org]
  • by jim_g ( 97546 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @06:22AM (#1180406)
    A quick visit to http://www.perl.com [perl.com] reveals that what has just been released is Release Candidate 3, which is still beta. Close, but still beta.


    -- Jim
  • by Skald ( 140034 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @06:00AM (#1180407)
    why say you randall schwartz is felon?

    He was convicted of three felony counts of computer crimes against his employers a few years back. Here's a page [rahul.net] with details.

    To put it mildly, many hackers thought Randal was the victim in the whole affair... but read, and decide for yourself.

  • by Matts ( 1628 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @05:03AM (#1180408) Homepage
    Yes. subs now can have an attribute list, including attributes for thread safety, and lvalueness.
  • by King Babar ( 19862 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @05:19AM (#1180409) Homepage
    The change log is available here.

    Yes, that's true...but it's highly unlikely that this is what most people are interested in.

    What you really want to read is the file perldelta.pod, that comes with the distribution, and, I hope, will appear outside of it somewhere (at www.perl.com [perl.com]?) in the very near future. The Changelog is 1.4 MB of lore that literally logs everything done to perl source since the Bronze age (or sometime around there; I'd have to check). Not that it isn't entertaining or interesting if you've achieved some level of geekiness, but it doesn't give easy answers to questions most people have. :-)

  • by dlc ( 41988 ) <dlc@sevenroDEBIANot.org minus distro> on Thursday March 23, 2000 @05:36AM (#1180410) Homepage

    Yeah, I was working on that one. It's availble here [sevenroot.org].

    darren


    Cthulhu for President! [cthulhu.org]
  • by EraseMe ( 7218 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @04:56AM (#1180411)
    Just in case anyone was wondering, they went from Perl 5.005 to Perl 5.6 because they didn't want to release this as 5.006 as they figured many people may not understand the large significance of this release...

    /me waits eagerly for a woody deb. :)

    EraseMe
  • As an aside, mod_perl 1.22 [cpan.org] has been updated to work with Perl 5.6 (it was released last Wednesday). From the changelog:

    compile fixes for 5.6 + -Duse5005threads
    [Lincoln Stein ]

    darren


    Cthulhu for President! [cthulhu.org]
  • by Skald ( 140034 ) on Thursday March 23, 2000 @04:59AM (#1180413)
    It's not the changelog per se, but What New in Perl 5.6 [perl.com] might be of interest.

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