This was not my experience with Perl, at all. Perl was the first really welcoming programming community I found on the web. Not the only one, I'm sure, but it s

This was not my experience with Perl, at all. Perl was the first really welcoming programming community I found on the web. Not the only one, I'm sure, but it stood out in remarkable ways. Perl Monks was super helpful to beginners and intermediate Perl programmers; unmatched then or now, I think; maybe the Go community is a modern parellel, as it has a very beginner-friendly culture, IME. IRC was always great (though I must concede it is somewhat cranky these day...not unhelpful, but not always as gentle about helping as it once was). I don't know which "Beginners Perl" mailing list you're referring to, but the ones I used to follow when I was learning (a couple of decades ago) were very helpful. I'm sure there are cranky old Perlmongers in this world. And, it's been so long since I was paying close attention to beginner resources that I may have missed a shift in tone in that time. But, Perl, to me, was a great learning language. And, I liked Learning Perl, though I think the Camel is a better book, and if you're not a true programming beginner, Programming Perl is the better book to read. Learning Perl teaches Perl and programming at the same time, and may not be the best way to learn either; though, again, I thought it was quite good, and was very empowering for me.