I think computer science, by and large, is still stuck in the Modern age. Larry Wall More Quotes by Larry Wall More Quotes From Larry Wall Even if you aren't in doubt, consider the mental welfare of the person who has to maintain the code after you, and who will probably put parens in the wrong place. Larry Wall code welfare doubt Call me bored, but don't call me boring. Larry Wall call-me bored boring It won't be covered in the book. The source code has to be useful for something, after all. Larry Wall computer source book It should be illegal to yell 'Y2K' in a crowded economy. Larry Wall illegal economy should Let us be charitable, and call it a misleading feature. Larry Wall mislead charitable features We don't have enough parallel universes to allow all uses of all junction types - in the absence of quantum computing the combinatorics are not in our favor. Larry Wall favors use absence This job of playing God is a little too big for me. Nevertheless, someone has to do it, so I'll try my best to fake it. Larry Wall fake trying jobs I think I'm likely to be certified before Perl is. Larry Wall perl computer thinking Information doesn't want to be free. Information wants to be valuable. Larry Wall valuable information want The autodecrement is not magical. Larry Wall An initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer. Larry Wall computer strong feelings But I know what's important to me, and what isn't. And I think I know what people can get used to, and what they can even learn to like. (It just takes some people longer than others. :-) Larry Wall important people thinking It's there as a sop to former Ada programmers. Larry Wall ada former computer Perl should remain fast and intuitive (to the extent that it is :-) Larry Wall perl intuitive should But the possibility of abuse may be a good reason for leaving capabilities out of other computer languages, it's not a good reason for leaving capabilities out of Perl. Larry Wall abuse leaving may It would be possible to optimize some forms of goto, but I haven't bothered. Larry Wall bothered form would-be I view the JVM as just another architecture that Perl ought to be ported to. (That, and the Underwood typewriter...) Larry Wall architecture typewriters views Almost nothing in Perl serves a single purpose. Larry Wall perl purpose If you want your program to be readable, consider supplying the argument. Larry Wall program argument want Let's say the docs present a simplified view of reality. Larry Wall computer views reality