Developing in Perl, 10 years later
The last time I used Perl for something else than training or recruiting new developers, most thought of Perl as a CGI-BIN language and not much else. As we all know, things have come a long way since the new millennium and Perl certainly has been no exception.
Today I was browsing the web looking for info on Perl’s current status because even if last year I attended YAPAC:EU since then I have been occupied with other subjects and most development has been made in PHP.
Settle down folks. I am fully aware there’s a “war” going on between Perl and PHP developers but, as I explained in one of my earlier articles, I do not see myself as a full fledged developer so I think I can dodge a bullet or two in this battle.
As I was saying, browsing the web I started searching for some “new” Perl related subjects such as Mason, Catalyst, etc. and found myself completely lost. How can this be? I thought, scratching my balding head… I know the syntax, I have attended several training sessions, I have read a couple of books. What could be missing?
Well, it didn’t take me that long before I realized that Perl has gown more than I imagined. Not only it’s developer base, which I am fully aware, but the whole language has grown. I could almost say, outgrown itself. Currently there is Raduko on the horizon and Perl 6 is the buzz of the community. But more than that, we can find frameworks, tremendous amounts of beautifully developed modules, an immense amount of freely available documentation, fully grown Perl IDEs and a community base wider than you could ever imagine.
Right now I have to take my hat off to the Perl community. I have tried for years to create a strong PHP community in Portugal and it has been tough just to get in touch with other initiatives. Well, Perl Mongers have conquered the world. Really. This is the largest community I have ever encountered. Anywhere. But this is a good thing. By contacting this community I have already been able to recruit a couple of developers and to get info on basic stuff like what to study first now that I am trying to derust my Perl abilities.
In conclusion, if you are searching for a programming language to learn I could recommend PHP because is relatively easy to pick up. But if you wish to get down and dirty I have to recommend Perl.
By the way, can you tell the difference between perl and Perl? Answer after the click.