Started learning Perl
hello, I got into learning Perl because some people on IRC said so. at first I wasn't interested in Perl because I already know Python and Python can almost do anything Perl can. I still gave it a try to kinda have some experience learning new language. I am on chapter 3 right now and would make another post about my progress. https://blob.perl.org/books/beginning-perl/3145_Chap03.pdf
Dropkick3038 1 point today
I like perl.
$scalar @array my sub use '=~'
...and a lot of shit perl borrowed from C. With such a small subset of the language (perhaps less) you can write lots of useful programs.
1bizdelnick 19 points in 2 days
A bit too late. 20 years ago this would be great. (I started 12 years ago, used it for couple of hobby projects.)
19
thingsiplay
23 points
in 2 daysFor the language itself, maybe. But never discourage people from learning something new. He seems to be excited and has motivation. There are also lot of legacy code, which would never get ported or maintained if nobody learns the language anymore, only a few old people at that point (look what happens to COBOL).
23404 5 points in 2 days
Yeah, COBOL schools and boot camps have started to pop up
5
snaggen
14 points
in 2 daysI learend it in the 90s, and was working on a large Perl codebase 2005 and a couple of years forward. And 20 years, it still started to feel dated, and 15 years ago it was just so out dated it hurt. So, starting to learn Perl 20 years ago would not have been great :) However, the things making Perl horrible, is pretty much threre in Python also with the addition of significant whitespace... so technically, going from Python to Perl might actually be a step in the right direction.... Now, if you excuse me, I will hide behinde this huge rock for a while to let the incoming projectiles settle.
14fulg 16 points in 2 days
some people on IRC
Well there’s your problem! (just kidding)
Honestly though I don’t know why you would pick Perl unless you want to learn an obscure language that is both painful to read and write. May $deity have mercy on your soul.
16
CIAvash
2 points
tomorrowIf you want/like/enjoy something, do it, don't listen to others. It's also OK to learn something but never use it, either for the joy of learning or learning new things and new ways of looking at things.
Perl was my first favorite programming language, I really liked it. my brain could connect with it easily(same thing wasn't true for other PLs). It even helped me understand other programming languages better.
My current favorite language is Raku.
2solrize 14 points in 2 days
I won't say "better" but Perl 6 is ... interesting. It's not clear what version you're using.
I suggest Haskell as your next language instead of Perl, since it will change how you think. https://learnyouahaskell.com is a good place to start.
14Faresh 18 points in 2 days
When people say perl, they normally mean Perl 5. Perl 6 is now called Raku and is considered a different language.
18msage 2 points tomorrow
It's not that far from the tree
2
exu
8 points
in 2 daysI've been brainwashed into finding Elixir interesting due to how it handles parallelism and how good it's supposed to be for live debugging. (According to ~3 talks I found on youtube)
Edit: Syntax error
8Also a good choice. I've never used Elixir but have used Erlang. Elixir is just Erlang with different surface syntax, pretty much. https://learnyousomeerlang.com is a good way to start with Erlang.
1
ericjmorey
8 points
in 2 daysI'm fascinated by Raku myself.
8
MalReynolds
6 points
in 2 daysAh, write only code ;) I was an enjoyer pre python.
6spacedogroy 5 points in 2 days
I worked with Perl for years, and I don't recommend it for a beginner. There are just too many idiosyncrasies that belong specifically to the language that you'd be better off with Python for learning the basics.
I'm also not really sold on that book, which from the code samples looks really old. I'd recommend two books: Modern Perl and Perl Best Practices.
Edit: I'd also recommend working in Go but potentially the way i/o intersects with interfaces makes it a bit more challenging.
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thingsiplay
3 points
in 2 days
I was about to start learning Perl in a proper way, but always decided against it. I just can't find a good reason for myself to write Perl code. Unless you want to read or edit others Perl code, what is the reason to learn it? GNU+Bash and Python are often enough for me.
So why learning and using Perl in modern age and day as a newcomer to the language? Look, I'm not negative here, just asking honest question. Because I am actually searching for good reasons to learn Perl.
3 -
snaggen
4 points
in 2 days
Well, Perl is great for small scripts that works on large texts, that you process with regex. I still use Perl from time to time, for that kind of scripts. Also commandline, instead of awk/sed...
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