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Who is the average Perl developer? I'm a student. I should probably know less about Perl than a junior Perl programmer - and I know almost all the keywords. Is

Who is the average Perl developer? I'm a student. I should probably know less about Perl than a junior Perl programmer - and I know almost all the keywords. Is simple.wikipedia.org really better than wikipedia.org for the average English speaker? If your only argument is that simpler language lets more people understand, why bother saying words like "unknowable"? Why not say "not knowable"? Isn't it superfluous to have these words in your vocabulary? Being able to accurately express an idea quickly has it's value.

absconditus 15y ago
Do you know all of the operators as well? All of the special variables? A significant portion of the regex syntax? The four different ways to call subroutines and the effects that each method has? The list goes on and on and on. I work with about a dozen Perl developers and there are only a couple of us that know a significant portion of the language. Problems occur when someone uses a less common piece of syntax and no one else knows what it does. Everyone has their favorite ways to do things and people tend to have very strong preferences. This makes for code that is much more difficult to understand. English is a far more complex topic. I am not sure where to even begin. I do think that it helps for a group of people to share a common set of language prescriptions.
- windsurfer 15y ago
  You could have been easier to understand if you simply said "nope, you're wrong". But instead, you went on for three paragraphs describing your point of view. You even used a word I had forgotten the definition of: "operators" (Yes, I had to look up the exact definition). Yet I understood everything you said with no ambiguousness. Was this incorrect? Was explaining your point of view inefficient or causing problems in understanding? I think you inadvertently showed how expressive language has enormous benefits, even if people can never understand it 100%.
- chromatic 15y ago
  Do you know all of the operators as well? All of the special variables? A significant portion of the regex syntax? You don't have to know all of those to be a good Perl developer. You have to know how to read the documentation. Everyone has their favorite ways to do things and people tend to have very strong preferences. None of that sounds like a programming language problem.

absconditus 15y ago

Do you know all of the operators as well? All of the special variables? A significant portion of the regex syntax? The four different ways to call subroutines and the effects that each method has? The list goes on and on and on. I work with about a dozen Perl developers and there are only a couple of us that know a significant portion of the language. Problems occur when someone uses a less common piece of syntax and no one else knows what it does. Everyone has their favorite ways to do things and people tend to have very strong preferences. This makes for code that is much more difficult to understand. English is a far more complex topic. I am not sure where to even begin. I do think that it helps for a group of people to share a common set of language prescriptions.

windsurfer 15y ago
You could have been easier to understand if you simply said "nope, you're wrong". But instead, you went on for three paragraphs describing your point of view. You even used a word I had forgotten the definition of: "operators" (Yes, I had to look up the exact definition). Yet I understood everything you said with no ambiguousness. Was this incorrect? Was explaining your point of view inefficient or causing problems in understanding? I think you inadvertently showed how expressive language has enormous benefits, even if people can never understand it 100%.
chromatic 15y ago
Do you know all of the operators as well? All of the special variables? A significant portion of the regex syntax? You don't have to know all of those to be a good Perl developer. You have to know how to read the documentation. Everyone has their favorite ways to do things and people tend to have very strong preferences. None of that sounds like a programming language problem.