SlideShare uma empresa Scribd logo
1 de 51
Baixar para ler offline
http://xkcd.com/224/

                       1
Perl
Baseless Myths & Startling Realities



          by Tim Bunce, February 2008

                                        2
Realities
-
    I'm positive about Perl
    Not negative about other languages


-   Pick any language well suited to the task
-
    Good developers are always most important,
    whatever language is used


                                                 3
Who am I?
-   Tim Bunce
-   Author of the Perl DBI module
-   Using Perl since 1991
-   Involved in the development of Perl 5
-   “Pumpkin” for 5.4.x maintenance releases
-   http://blog.timbunce.org


                                               4
~ Myths ~




            5
~ Myths ~

-              Perl is dead

- Perl is hard to read / test / maintain
-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                           6
~ Myths ~

-              Perl is dead

- Perl is hard to read / test / maintain
-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                           7
Perl 5

-   Perl 5 isn’t the new kid on the block
    -   Perl is 21 years old
    -   Perl 5 is 14 years old


-   A mature language with a mature culture




                                              8
9
10
Buzz != Jobs

-   Perl5 hasn’t been generating buzz recently
    -   It’s just getting on with the job
    -   Lots of jobs
        -   just not all in web development




                                                 11
Guess the Languages




                      12
“web developer”




Yes, Perl is growing more slowly than others
  but these are just “web developer” jobs
                                               13
“software engineer”




  Perl is mentioned in many more
 software engineer/developer jobs.
                                     14
“foo developer”




Perl is the primary focus of more developer jobs.
 Want a fun new job? Become a Perl developer!
                                                    15
Massive Module Market

-   Large and vibrant developer community
-   Over 14,000 distributions (54,000 modules)
-   Over 6,400 ‘authors’ (who make releases)
-   Thousands of new releases every month to
    hundreds of modules




                                                 16
Top Modules
-Many gems, including...
  -DBI DBD::* DBIx::Class Rose::DB::Object
  -Catalyst Moose DateTime
  -Algorithm::* Statistics::* Thread::*
  -XML::* HTML::* WWW::* Parse::*
  -Net::* Email::* POE::* Locale::*
  -Test::* Devel::Cover Perl::Critic perltidy
                                                17
-   Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
-   360 mirrors in 51 regions (TLDs)




                                         18
Developer Services
-   Upload a perl module distribution
    and you automatically get...
    -   global distribution and archiving
    -   namespace ownership and management
    -   a bug tracking queue at rt.cpan.org
    -   a forum at cpanforum.com
    -   smoke testing on many platforms


                                              19
search.cpan.org
-   For each and every distribution:
-   Browse well formatted inter-linked docs
-   Links to forums, bug tracking, ratings,
    annotated documentation, dependency
    analysis, smoke test results, and more...
-   620,000 unique visitors per month
    150,000 page views per day
    33,000 visits per day


                                                20
21
Dependency Analysis available for all Modules
             http://bbbike.radzeit.de/~slaven/cpantestersmatrix.cgi




                                                                      22
Average Uploads/Month




                        23
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS

- Perl is hard to read / test / maintain
-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                           24
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS

- Perl is hard to read / test / maintain
-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                           25
“How Not to Write FORTRAN
     in Any Language”
-   by Donn Seeley
    ACM Queue Vol. 2 No. 9 - Dec/Jan 2004-2005

-   False: “There’s no obfuscated Perl contest
    because it’s pointless.”
    
 —Jeff Polk
-   True: “Whatever language you write in, your
    task as a programmer is to do the best you can
    with the tools at hand.”
    
 —Kernighan and Pike


                                                     26
“True greatness is measured by how much
freedom you give to others, not by how much
you can coerce others to do what you want.”

    —Larry Wall




                                              27
Guidelines and Tools

-   Perl Best Practices
-   Perl::Tidy
-   Perl::Critic
-   Test::*
-   Devel::Cover



                           28
29
Perl::Tidy

-   Perl code beautifier
-   Works beautifully - can be trusted
-   Supports many options for personal styles
-   Perl Best Practices recommended options




                                                30
Perl::Critic

-   Static Code Analysis for Perl
-   Includes over 120 policies
-   Most based on Perl Best Practices
-   Grouped into levels and themes
-   Configurable and extensible
    for local policies and styles



                                        31
Test::*

-   Perl culture takes testing seriously
-   Excellent mature tools for testing
-   Test Anything Protocol - producers/consumers
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Anything_Protocol

-   Test::* modules make it easy to write tests
-   Over 200 Test::* distributions on CPAN



                                                          32
33
Devel::Cover

-   Coverage Analysis for Perl
-   Tells you what code has been executed
-   Statement, branch, condition, subroutine, pod
-   Produces drill-down reports in HTML




                                                    34
Devel::Cover Reports
          http://pjcj.sytes.net/cover/latest/




                                                35
36
37
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS
                          D! / maintain
- Perl is hard to readE test
              B US   T /

-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                          38
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS
                          D! / maintain
- Perl is hard to readE test
              B US   T /

-         Perl 6 is killing Perl 5

                                          39
Perl 6 saved Perl 5!

-   “Perl 5 had already started dying, because
    people were starting to see it as a dead-end
    language.
-   It seemed odd at the time, but when we
    announced Perl 6, Perl 5 suddenly took on a
    new life.”
    
 —Larry Wall, 2002



                                                   40
Perl 6 saved Perl 5!

-   In 2000 perl was dying from the inside out
-   The Perl 6 RFC process “vented speen”
-   Perl 5 development has gone smoothly since
-   Much refactoring driven by Perl5-on-Parrot
-   Many new features inspired by Perl 6 work



                                                 41
Perl 5.10
- Perl 5.10 was released in December
 Five years after 5.8.0, two years after 5.8.8
- Refactored internals
 
     many fixes, more speed, less memory
- Switch statement, smart matching, named
 captures, state variables, defined-or, say, field
 hashes, pluggable regex engines, trie-based
 non-recursive pattern matching, and more...
 http://www.slideshare.net/rjbs/perl-510-for-people-who-arent-totally-insane

                                                                               42
A Culture of Testing

-   Another bonus from Perl 6:
-   Strong test suites for Perl 5 code are needed to
    ensure backwards compatibility
-   Strengthened culture of testing




                                                       43
Perl Test Suite

-2002: Perl 5.8.0 had 26,725 core tests

      +41,666 more for bundled libraries etc.


-2007: Perl 5.10.0 has 78,883 core tests

      +109,427 more for bundled libraries etc.




                                                  44
Module Test Suites

-CPAN Testers Network:
- Automated smoke testing of CPAN uploads
- Runs the test suite included in upload
- 61 different platforms
    20 different versions
-   Immediate feedback for developers



                                            45
Platform/Version analysis available for all Modules
                                  http://cpandeps.cantrell.org




                                                                 46
~90,000 Reports/Month




   Monthly - August 1999 to December 2007
                                            47
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS
                          D! / maintain
- Perl is hard to readE test
              B US   T /

-                         D!
          Perl 6 isSTE Perl 5
                    killing
              BU

                                          48
~ Myths ~

                       D!
-                  TE
             Perl is dead
             BUS
                          D! / maintain
- Perl is hard to readE test
              B US   T /

-                         D!
          Perl 6 isSTE Perl 5
                    killing
              BU

                                          49
Community Resources
“Awesome community.
Perl people tend to be laid-back and friendly.”


-perlmonks.org - Meditations and wisdom
-use.perl.org - News and blogs
-perlbuzz.com - Headlines and articles
-comp.lang.perl.* - Newsgroups
                                                  50
Any questions?

     http://perlmonks.org
    http://search.cpan.org
   http://blog.timbunce.org


                              51

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais de Tim Bunce

Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011
Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011
Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011Tim Bunce
 
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012Tim Bunce
 
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008Tim Bunce
 
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Tim Bunce
 
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0Tim Bunce
 
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007Tim Bunce
 
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Tim Bunce
 
DashProfiler 200807
DashProfiler 200807DashProfiler 200807
DashProfiler 200807Tim Bunce
 
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007Tim Bunce
 
DBD::Gofer 200809
DBD::Gofer 200809DBD::Gofer 200809
DBD::Gofer 200809Tim Bunce
 
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Tim Bunce
 
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)Tim Bunce
 

Mais de Tim Bunce (12)

Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011
Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011
Perl Dist::Surveyor 2011
 
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0 201012
 
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008
Perl6 DBDI YAPC::EU 201008
 
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Perl 6 DBDI 201007 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
 
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0
PL/Perl - New Features in PostgreSQL 9.0
 
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007
DBI Advanced Tutorial 2007
 
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf v3 - 200908 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
 
DashProfiler 200807
DashProfiler 200807DashProfiler 200807
DashProfiler 200807
 
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007
DBI for Parrot and Perl 6 Lightning Talk 2007
 
DBD::Gofer 200809
DBD::Gofer 200809DBD::Gofer 200809
DBD::Gofer 200809
 
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
Devel::NYTProf 2009-07 (OUTDATED, see 201008)
 
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)
Perl Myths 200802 with notes (OUTDATED, see 200909)
 

Último

Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAAnypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAshyamraj55
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7DianaGray10
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Adtran
 
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdf
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdfUiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdf
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdfDianaGray10
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxMatsuo Lab
 
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IES VE
 
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarAI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarPrecisely
 
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...Aggregage
 
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdf
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdf
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfJamie (Taka) Wang
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsSafe Software
 
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...DianaGray10
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesDavid Newbury
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6DianaGray10
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesMd Hossain Ali
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1DianaGray10
 
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationUsing IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationIES VE
 
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024SkyPlanner
 
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UbiTrack UK
 
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024D Cloud Solutions
 

Último (20)

Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAAnypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
 
20150722 - AGV
20150722 - AGV20150722 - AGV
20150722 - AGV
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
 
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdf
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdfUiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdf
UiPath Solutions Management Preview - Northern CA Chapter - March 22.pdf
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
 
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
 
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarAI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
 
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
 
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdf
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdf
activity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdfactivity_diagram_combine_v4_20190827.pdf
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
 
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
Connector Corner: Extending LLM automation use cases with UiPath GenAI connec...
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
 
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationUsing IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
 
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024
Salesforce Miami User Group Event - 1st Quarter 2024
 
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
 
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
Artificial Intelligence & SEO Trends for 2024
 

Perl Myths 200802 (OUTDATED, see 200909)

  • 2. Perl Baseless Myths & Startling Realities by Tim Bunce, February 2008 2
  • 3. Realities - I'm positive about Perl Not negative about other languages - Pick any language well suited to the task - Good developers are always most important, whatever language is used 3
  • 4. Who am I? - Tim Bunce - Author of the Perl DBI module - Using Perl since 1991 - Involved in the development of Perl 5 - “Pumpkin” for 5.4.x maintenance releases - http://blog.timbunce.org 4
  • 6. ~ Myths ~ - Perl is dead - Perl is hard to read / test / maintain - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 6
  • 7. ~ Myths ~ - Perl is dead - Perl is hard to read / test / maintain - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 7
  • 8. Perl 5 - Perl 5 isn’t the new kid on the block - Perl is 21 years old - Perl 5 is 14 years old - A mature language with a mature culture 8
  • 9. 9
  • 10. 10
  • 11. Buzz != Jobs - Perl5 hasn’t been generating buzz recently - It’s just getting on with the job - Lots of jobs - just not all in web development 11
  • 13. “web developer” Yes, Perl is growing more slowly than others but these are just “web developer” jobs 13
  • 14. “software engineer” Perl is mentioned in many more software engineer/developer jobs. 14
  • 15. “foo developer” Perl is the primary focus of more developer jobs. Want a fun new job? Become a Perl developer! 15
  • 16. Massive Module Market - Large and vibrant developer community - Over 14,000 distributions (54,000 modules) - Over 6,400 ‘authors’ (who make releases) - Thousands of new releases every month to hundreds of modules 16
  • 17. Top Modules -Many gems, including... -DBI DBD::* DBIx::Class Rose::DB::Object -Catalyst Moose DateTime -Algorithm::* Statistics::* Thread::* -XML::* HTML::* WWW::* Parse::* -Net::* Email::* POE::* Locale::* -Test::* Devel::Cover Perl::Critic perltidy 17
  • 18. - Comprehensive Perl Archive Network - 360 mirrors in 51 regions (TLDs) 18
  • 19. Developer Services - Upload a perl module distribution and you automatically get... - global distribution and archiving - namespace ownership and management - a bug tracking queue at rt.cpan.org - a forum at cpanforum.com - smoke testing on many platforms 19
  • 20. search.cpan.org - For each and every distribution: - Browse well formatted inter-linked docs - Links to forums, bug tracking, ratings, annotated documentation, dependency analysis, smoke test results, and more... - 620,000 unique visitors per month 150,000 page views per day 33,000 visits per day 20
  • 21. 21
  • 22. Dependency Analysis available for all Modules http://bbbike.radzeit.de/~slaven/cpantestersmatrix.cgi 22
  • 24. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS - Perl is hard to read / test / maintain - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 24
  • 25. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS - Perl is hard to read / test / maintain - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 25
  • 26. “How Not to Write FORTRAN in Any Language” - by Donn Seeley ACM Queue Vol. 2 No. 9 - Dec/Jan 2004-2005 - False: “There’s no obfuscated Perl contest because it’s pointless.” —Jeff Polk - True: “Whatever language you write in, your task as a programmer is to do the best you can with the tools at hand.” —Kernighan and Pike 26
  • 27. “True greatness is measured by how much freedom you give to others, not by how much you can coerce others to do what you want.” —Larry Wall 27
  • 28. Guidelines and Tools - Perl Best Practices - Perl::Tidy - Perl::Critic - Test::* - Devel::Cover 28
  • 29. 29
  • 30. Perl::Tidy - Perl code beautifier - Works beautifully - can be trusted - Supports many options for personal styles - Perl Best Practices recommended options 30
  • 31. Perl::Critic - Static Code Analysis for Perl - Includes over 120 policies - Most based on Perl Best Practices - Grouped into levels and themes - Configurable and extensible for local policies and styles 31
  • 32. Test::* - Perl culture takes testing seriously - Excellent mature tools for testing - Test Anything Protocol - producers/consumers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Anything_Protocol - Test::* modules make it easy to write tests - Over 200 Test::* distributions on CPAN 32
  • 33. 33
  • 34. Devel::Cover - Coverage Analysis for Perl - Tells you what code has been executed - Statement, branch, condition, subroutine, pod - Produces drill-down reports in HTML 34
  • 35. Devel::Cover Reports http://pjcj.sytes.net/cover/latest/ 35
  • 36. 36
  • 37. 37
  • 38. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS D! / maintain - Perl is hard to readE test B US T / - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 38
  • 39. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS D! / maintain - Perl is hard to readE test B US T / - Perl 6 is killing Perl 5 39
  • 40. Perl 6 saved Perl 5! - “Perl 5 had already started dying, because people were starting to see it as a dead-end language. - It seemed odd at the time, but when we announced Perl 6, Perl 5 suddenly took on a new life.” —Larry Wall, 2002 40
  • 41. Perl 6 saved Perl 5! - In 2000 perl was dying from the inside out - The Perl 6 RFC process “vented speen” - Perl 5 development has gone smoothly since - Much refactoring driven by Perl5-on-Parrot - Many new features inspired by Perl 6 work 41
  • 42. Perl 5.10 - Perl 5.10 was released in December Five years after 5.8.0, two years after 5.8.8 - Refactored internals many fixes, more speed, less memory - Switch statement, smart matching, named captures, state variables, defined-or, say, field hashes, pluggable regex engines, trie-based non-recursive pattern matching, and more... http://www.slideshare.net/rjbs/perl-510-for-people-who-arent-totally-insane 42
  • 43. A Culture of Testing - Another bonus from Perl 6: - Strong test suites for Perl 5 code are needed to ensure backwards compatibility - Strengthened culture of testing 43
  • 44. Perl Test Suite -2002: Perl 5.8.0 had 26,725 core tests +41,666 more for bundled libraries etc. -2007: Perl 5.10.0 has 78,883 core tests +109,427 more for bundled libraries etc. 44
  • 45. Module Test Suites -CPAN Testers Network: - Automated smoke testing of CPAN uploads - Runs the test suite included in upload - 61 different platforms 20 different versions - Immediate feedback for developers 45
  • 46. Platform/Version analysis available for all Modules http://cpandeps.cantrell.org 46
  • 47. ~90,000 Reports/Month Monthly - August 1999 to December 2007 47
  • 48. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS D! / maintain - Perl is hard to readE test B US T / - D! Perl 6 isSTE Perl 5 killing BU 48
  • 49. ~ Myths ~ D! - TE Perl is dead BUS D! / maintain - Perl is hard to readE test B US T / - D! Perl 6 isSTE Perl 5 killing BU 49
  • 50. Community Resources “Awesome community. Perl people tend to be laid-back and friendly.” -perlmonks.org - Meditations and wisdom -use.perl.org - News and blogs -perlbuzz.com - Headlines and articles -comp.lang.perl.* - Newsgroups 50
  • 51. Any questions? http://perlmonks.org http://search.cpan.org http://blog.timbunce.org 51