From: Chad Perrin <perrin@...>
Date: 2007-07-11T11:43:48+09:00
Subject: Re: Beautiful Code : Pity he didn't ask here...

On Wed, Jul 11, 2007 at 10:53:42AM +0900, ara.t.howard wrote:
> 
> On Jul 10, 2007, at 8:47 AM, Tim Bray wrote:
> 
> >Gosh, I think I totally disagree on readability grounds.
> 
> let's step back for one moment and think about why we all left perl:

Speak for yourself.  I didn't leave Perl at all.  I just added Ruby to my
repertoire.  I'm not sold on the idea that there's One True Language, and
its name is Ruby.  I use different languages for different purposes.
Some languages are generally good, and some are generally bad, but many
languages are good for at least one thing in a way that other languages
aren't -- and for that reason among others, I use both Perl and Ruby.


> 
>   - wtf is $1 ?
>   - wtf is ARGF ?
>   - regexes are, of all things, the epitome of snoopy swearing

$1 is the first capture.  Seems obvious to me.
ARGF is closely related to ARGV.
Regexen are extremely useful, and removing them from Ruby would be a bit
like shooting it in the head.


> 
> i always consider using the magic $vars a sign of temporary perl  
> madness.

I always see it as a potential sign of greater maintainability (if
they're used well).

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
John W. Russell: "People point. Sometimes that's just easier. They also use
words. Sometimes that's just easier. For the same reasons that pointing has
not made words obsolete, there will always be command lines."