A Toolbox Heritage - Page 163

Perl evolved from a collection of disparate tools, and it still reflects that heritage today. Rather than be borne of a comprehensive and unified design, Perl has been put together piecemeal over time. The language is tantalizingly powerful, because its component tools are often so fully formed. The ability to pick up a hammer and a saw in Perl is a vast productivity improvement compared to, say, C, where you may have to chop down the tree for the wood of the hammer, then assemble the hammer, then forge the saw, and so on.

But Perl's collection of tools is not tightly bound by a strong vision or central core. This leads to an extremely flexible system for modest sized projects, but increasing disorganization as projects grow large. Perl is wonderful at whipping up results where previously there were none; it is weak at maintaining control over a system that spans multiple goals and people.

Perl is believed to be the dominant programming language behind dynamic Web sites, and with good reason. Free and widely available, with the tools for interacting with the Web at the ready, Perl has been excellent at breathing life into the modest applications that tend to run behind Web sites. However, as the Web itself grows into a more complex tool, and applications evolve into services, Perl's weaknesses are beginning to feel more stress.

While largely a subject for another time, one does want to briefly mention Python, a language with a modest user-base, but growing in popularity, especially from Perl refugees looking for more order and less chaos. Those who relish in Perl's power but are dissatisfied with its sloppiness may find alluring refuge in Python. On the other hand, those who thrive in Perl's freewheeling culture will likely find Python too stiff in the lip and perhaps a size too small.

Simplistic Subroutines - Page 162
The Perl You Need to Know
The Perl You Need to Know Part 23: CPAN, a Farmer's Market for Perl - Page 164