Random Perl ... rant

[Paul Makepeace]

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 2:01 PM, Jonathan Rockway <jon at jrock.us> wrote:
> * On Thu, Apr 03 2008, Paul Makepeace wrote:
>  > On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 12:05 PM, Jonathan Rockway <jon at jrock.us> wrote:
>  >
>  >>  Anyway, the point of this rant is that IDEs are necessary for Java
>  >>  because the language requires you to offload every detail of the code to
>  >>  the source file.  Perl lets you keep that information in your brain.
>  >
>  > Yeah but I don't want to keep a load of information about programming
>  > in my brain, I want the computer to hold stuff in _its_ brain. It's
>  > just better at it.
>
>  No it's not.  The things that a computer can keep track of for you are
>  trivialities that you should never have to think about.

Yeah, like sigils to tell the computer what type it is? :-)

>  Programming is hard because it involves constant creativity, thinking,
>  and planning.  Computers can't be creative, can't think, and can't plan.
>  If your programming projects are tedious and don't require creativity,
>  you are doing something wrong.  Instead of patching over your
>  incompetence with buttons you can click to get docs, you should learn
>  how to program instead.

Jeez, having a conversation here could be interesting but your general
tone I can't help finding somewhat overbearing and arrogant. It's
definitely not this list's flavour.

>  > Having a perl runtime co-existing with an IDE that does a 90%ile job
>  > of autocompleting method & class names, provides high speed access to
>  > docs, and so on would be a big win, IMO.
>
>  You've just described PerlySense.

Thanks, I'll take a look when it's vim'ed.

>  > If you think typing a class name into search.cpan.org is a "high speed
>  > access to docs" you haven't used  an IDE.
>
>  Nobody said this.

Pre-emptive strike.

P

>
>  Regards,
>  Jonathan Rockway
>
>  --
>  print just => another => perl => hacker => if $,=$"
>