Stagnating programming languages … perl
I got caught up in the moment over at Oreilly while commenting on How does a programming language stagnate?
I admit, it turned into a bit more of a rant than a comment.
But I guess that’s because I like the line of thinking in Chromatics article.
Here it is in it’s full glory !
I still use Perl for my sites (brooders.net, neoscholar.net), as well as tidbits of code, prototyping (even if the app will end up being in Java) and a whole host of things.
My work bought me Komodo from Activestate so I could do my Perl and Ruby coding when needed. I agree that more of the focus now is on modules like CGI::Application, Catalyst etc etc and not so much in the language itself. Yes .. there is a big gap between 5 and 6, but perl 5 is still useful.
I am also a little embaressed to admit it, but I probably still largely have a coding style like it’s perl 5.005_003. I first learnt Perl 4 at university, then upgraded from 5.001 to 5.005_003 in my first job. Perl 5.6 came and I didn’t change that much, even with Perl 5.8 .. same thing.
Perl still fills a gap. If need to grok a log file, do some web scanning (WWW::Mechanize is cool) or prototype something, Perl still helps me out. I do like Ruby as well, and Agree the whole Rails thing has made web dev easy in that environment compared to CGI::Application with Class::DBI, but you know what? I still maintain an Perl Web App I wrote 6 years ago .. with a homegrown templating system, and it still works.
I think the whole “perl is dying” thing comes from people seeing other languages and frameworks in the limelight. I think one of Rails biggest successes was a build a web application in 15 minutes tutorial, and watch the video if you can’t be bothered doing it .. and it looked pretty. C still has its place in microprocessor programming and OS level stuff. Perl also has it’s place as well as PHP. The whole Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (which Ruby language creator Matz talks about as well) talks about language influencing thought, and perhaps our thoughts influence the programming language we want to “think” in.
I think the language grows through the modules, and it’s still growing. Like you mentioned in the comments, CPANs modules for Perl5 are a huge strength for the language.
I guess even in the real word from a english language point of view, new ideas and products generate new parts of language. Think back 10 years .. would you have said “google it”?
Language evolves and extends .. not everyone uses every part, and not everybody uses the new parts as quick as others. I am sure my Grandmother wouldn’t know what Google is. Most professions I know (and companies) generate their own acronyms, names of processes etc that have meaning in that context. Programming languages are extended in their specific uses just like spoken/written human languages are.