Dear Tom -
I've thought a lot about why perl hasn't gained respect in the
deployment/hiring marketplace.
>>>>> "Tom" == Tom Metro <pm-5a1Jt6qxUNc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Tom> This reminded me of something I've wondered about for a long
Tom> time. Why did PHP become as successful and popular as it is,
Tom> even though it mostly offers a subset of what Perl can
Tom> do.
I think that PHP gained popularity for two reasons. It initially met
a need, that is, to embed logic within html. Second, it was simple.
Tom> Similarly, Java, seemingly through the addition of servlets,
Tom> succeeded at enterprise web development, despite Perl having
Tom> been there first.
It was more than that. There was a successful marketing campaign
which portrayed security, deployability and state-of-the-artness.
Tom> Today mod_perl is only rarely recognized as being an
Tom> application server.
But, among productivity focused programmers mod_perl is recognized as
one of the best frameworks to deliver web applications.
Tom> More recently, there's Python [...] great success with its
Tom> own application server, Zope.
As a perdominately perl programmer I must say I love zope and bemoan
the lack of comparable CMS in perl.
Tom> And lastly, C#, which has borrowed ideas from Perl, Java, and
Tom> C++.
Competing with the commercial software world is a whole different animal.
Tom> All of these are aspects of the same theme - Perl loosing
Tom> mindshare to other technologies. It started out as a quiet,
Tom> underground language (telling someone you programmed in Perl
Tom> back in the late 80's, early 90's just got a blank stare) and
Tom> is perhaps heading back there (I've noticed it getting
Tom> dropped off the list of programming languages listed on trade
Tom> magazine qualification forms).
Siiggghhhh...... You're right, of course, but, isn't that issue all
about the battle with the commercial world.
Having said that, I'm a leader in a consulting firm and I'm struggling
to convince my firm that we should develop a "LAMP Enabling" practice.
I see tons of organic LAMP deployment occuring. The idea of my
consulting product is that LAMP deployments are immature and that
there's value-adding consulting in making LAMP deployments "enterprise
quality" and by aligning them with strategic goals.
Perl's strength, in my mind, is that it has enormous breadth. As an
example; I write some app and after the fact realize I need to process
barcodes. No problem.
- Billy
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William Goedicke goedicke-gXR33uOrSRFWk0Htik3J/w@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cell 617-510-7244 http://www.goedsole.com:8080
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