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"Recently Martin Drashkov wrote "Why Perl lost It" (http://martin.drashkov.com/2009/11/why-perl-lost-it.html http://martin.drashkov.com/2009/11/why-perl-lost-it

"Recently Martin Drashkov wrote "Why Perl lost It" (http://martin.drashkov.com/2009/11/why-perl-lost-it.html http://martin.drashkov.com/2009/11/why-perl-lost-it.html). " OMG, I'm famous! Now that fame is here, fortune must be right around the corner. ;) I wish I spent more than half an hour ranting there. I could have made a much better argument, especially concerning new programmers and Perl.

rubashov 16y ago
> neither Perl5 nor Perl6 seem to offer much for developers Saying that Perl 6 offers nothing is just ridiculous. If a fast and solid implementation appeared today it would blow the competition out of the water.
- deleted 16y ago
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- prog 16y ago
  I am quite excited about Perl 6 features (not a fan of the syntax though ... coming from Python). While I enjoy Python, I would actually consider using Perl 6 because of features like macros, regex etc. I am not sure if Perl 6 has TCO. However, I would be a little bit concerned about using Perl 6 (rakudo) in any sort of production system before say 2013 or so considering that Parrot has just started to add some critical pieces[1] like JIT and threads. I suppose based on the interview Perl 6.1 would coincide with that. [1] http://wknight8111.blogspot.com/2010/05/fitness-of-parrot-as-target-platform.html http://wknight8111.blogspot.com/2010/05/fitness-of-parrot-as...
  - chromatic 16y ago
    I am not sure if Perl 6 has TCO. It does. I would be a little bit concerned about using Perl 6 (rakudo) in any sort of production system before say 2013 or so considering that Parrot has just started to add some critical pieces[1] like JIT and threads. Why? Do you use Python or Ruby or PHP now?
    - prog 16y ago
      > Why? Do you use Python or Ruby or PHP now? Don't get me wrong. I like Parrot. Its just that IMO complex pieces like JIT, threads and GC take some time to stabilize. So while I am all for Perl 6 being on Parrot and Parrot seems to be quite a feature rich VM I would want to see it used in the field for at least a year before I use it for a critical application. For the same reason, I would probably pick up the JIT/unladen-swallow version of CPython (whenever it comes out) only about a year or so of being out. At the moment I use Python quite a bit and have started to use Ruby sometimes. No PHP. Perl 6 and Parrot appeal to me because of their feature set. As for the syntax, I prefer Python syntax much more than Perl 5/6 but thats subjective. I would very much want to try out Perl 6 as it brings a lot of good stuff to the table, I think syntax would be a small price to pay for those features.
      - chromatic 16y ago
        You don't have to use concurrency or JIT in Rakudo Perl 6 now. These systems do take a while to stabilize, but they're not requirements for any Perl 6 applications. As for the GC, it'll always undergo tuning and experimentation. Even so, if it doesn't work, we'll know and we'll fix it.
mst 16y ago
I don't really mind either way; the fact you went to the trouble to write the article indicated that the first stage of our marketing work - reminding the world the Perl community was still there and still cared - was complete. Now it's time to move on; the endless debates about whether a provably growing language is "dying" aren't productive for anybody. I'd love to see a follow up article from you decrying the features of Perl you hate the most though and describing how you think they could have been done better (or are done better in other languages) - serious technical debate is so much more interesting than "not dead!" "are dead! "not dead" "are dead!", don't you think?

rubashov 16y ago

> neither Perl5 nor Perl6 seem to offer much for developers Saying that Perl 6 offers nothing is just ridiculous. If a fast and solid implementation appeared today it would blow the competition out of the water.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
prog 16y ago
I am quite excited about Perl 6 features (not a fan of the syntax though ... coming from Python). While I enjoy Python, I would actually consider using Perl 6 because of features like macros, regex etc. I am not sure if Perl 6 has TCO. However, I would be a little bit concerned about using Perl 6 (rakudo) in any sort of production system before say 2013 or so considering that Parrot has just started to add some critical pieces[1] like JIT and threads. I suppose based on the interview Perl 6.1 would coincide with that. [1] http://wknight8111.blogspot.com/2010/05/fitness-of-parrot-as-target-platform.html http://wknight8111.blogspot.com/2010/05/fitness-of-parrot-as...
- chromatic 16y ago
  I am not sure if Perl 6 has TCO. It does. I would be a little bit concerned about using Perl 6 (rakudo) in any sort of production system before say 2013 or so considering that Parrot has just started to add some critical pieces[1] like JIT and threads. Why? Do you use Python or Ruby or PHP now?
  - prog 16y ago
    > Why? Do you use Python or Ruby or PHP now? Don't get me wrong. I like Parrot. Its just that IMO complex pieces like JIT, threads and GC take some time to stabilize. So while I am all for Perl 6 being on Parrot and Parrot seems to be quite a feature rich VM I would want to see it used in the field for at least a year before I use it for a critical application. For the same reason, I would probably pick up the JIT/unladen-swallow version of CPython (whenever it comes out) only about a year or so of being out. At the moment I use Python quite a bit and have started to use Ruby sometimes. No PHP. Perl 6 and Parrot appeal to me because of their feature set. As for the syntax, I prefer Python syntax much more than Perl 5/6 but thats subjective. I would very much want to try out Perl 6 as it brings a lot of good stuff to the table, I think syntax would be a small price to pay for those features.
    - chromatic 16y ago
      You don't have to use concurrency or JIT in Rakudo Perl 6 now. These systems do take a while to stabilize, but they're not requirements for any Perl 6 applications. As for the GC, it'll always undergo tuning and experimentation. Even so, if it doesn't work, we'll know and we'll fix it.

mst 16y ago

I don't really mind either way; the fact you went to the trouble to write the article indicated that the first stage of our marketing work - reminding the world the Perl community was still there and still cared - was complete. Now it's time to move on; the endless debates about whether a provably growing language is "dying" aren't productive for anybody. I'd love to see a follow up article from you decrying the features of Perl you hate the most though and describing how you think they could have been done better (or are done better in other languages) - serious technical debate is so much more interesting than "not dead!" "are dead! "not dead" "are dead!", don't you think?