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> for the same reason you shouldn't use Perl (it is very hard to read code) I slightly disagree with this take on Perl. Agreed that it is easy to write code wh
by turtledragonfly 4y ago
> for the same reason you shouldn't use Perl (it is very hard to read code)
I slightly disagree with this take on Perl. Agreed that it is easy to write code which is hard for others to read, and agreed that it is often not a good idea in a large-team setting, for that reason.
But there is a lot of code that doesn't fall in that category, and Perl, by its nature (and by CPAN), can be remarkably good at just "getting stuff done" for oneself. All the wild syntax can really help in expressing a concept succinctly.
I wouldn't say the same about Forth, though.
- efitz 4y agoSomeone told me once that Perl was write-only.
- jll29 4y agoNot trying to disparage Perl, which has some utility, like most languages, notably fast regex engine and presence on many systems. BUT: I've been writing Perl for much longer than Python, but despite wanting to write readable/maintainable code, Perl has a tendency to get you to a stage where your code looks cryptic (part of it is by design - Larry Wall, a linguist, values implicitness as "context" - I think explicitness, by contrast, should be aspired to, in order to avoid confusion). I've never written cryptic Python code (and I am not a particular Python fan, as I prefer statically typed compiled languages), but it should be said that clarity is one of Python's advantages. I agree with you that it is easier to write readable Perl than readable FORTH, which could be due to the similarity of Perl with other non-stack imperative languages.
- zelphirkalt 4y agoWell, in Forth there isn't much "wild syntax" to begin with, so naturally you couldn't claim the same about Forth.