At the last Amsterdam.pm meeting Abigail gave a talk on JAPHs. I think I learned more than I ever wanted to know about them. There's supposed to be a link to the talk on the Amsterdam.pm site, but it doesn't seem to be there yet (I am not going to give the direct link here on PM for reasons which will be obvious to people who have been here a little while).

As for what brings me here, it's obviously addiction.

I think I return for three basic reasons.

First, to learn more about perl so I can can program it better. People ask questions here I would not and I can learn that way. I can also ask some of the harder perl questions I have and have a reasonable chance of somebody who understands more than I explaining it. I cannot get that at my current location - I am the local perl expert ( no comments from the peanut gallery ).

Second, to give some of that back. Having accepted help, I am honor bound to give that help back to people who need it. I have learned most of my knowledge the hard way and I enjoy helping others through similar problems.

Third, we have a pretty cool group of people here. The flame and the ego trips are mostly left behind. Help is freely and kindly given and there is usually a sense of humour to it. This is pretty rare on the 'net - look at slashdot and then, if you can stand it, read the clpm for a while.

I am not what I would call an obsessed programmer, either. I rarely code at home - there are better things to do ( sleep, watch TV, drink, etc. ) than spend more time in front of a keyboard. The only reason I know perl is through use on the job. It just has taken a few years and I am still not as good as many people around here. Just work at it long enough and you will get better.

mikfire

I am not what I would call an obsessed programmer, either. I rarely code at home...

You will. Oh yes, you will, as perl slowly drags you in. Before you know it, you'll be up to the wee hours of the morning trying to finish your obfuscation. Enjoy your sleeping and TV watching while you can. :)

# my message should've started with this:

{ 
  $_ = q"I'm";
  * == \q;
  s/$/ Just Another Perl Hacker/;
}

s+(.).+$1+;
$_.=$= if $= !=~ s.\.\..\U$&.;
$= ==~ s=.+(o)+.=\U$1= or tr!Perilous / Treacherous Tracks\n!!d;
$= !=~ s/..$/q ... reverse $&/e and print;
[download]

It was the XP system that got me hooked in the first place, but one of the things I appreciate the most are the insights to be gained from experienced programmers.

I am just about to finish my current contract, and I'm not sure when I'll be paid to write Perl again. However, there is a great deal of content here which is not Perl-centric.

For example, I just finished reading this thread about debuggers. It gives you plenty to think about, regardless of the language you may be using at the time.

This recent Meditation by jcwren is another example of non-language-specific insights from experienced programmers that I have had access to since I first arrived to at Perl Monks.

I'll be back.

*~-}hotyopa{-~*

Back on track here, sorry about that. I really want to write a JAPH now - since you all have convinced me how it sort of is a rite of passage. And I really feel that I'm not trying too hard. I just want to give it a shot, can't hurt in doing that.

I wish that I could call myself a Perl expert but I don't know a thing about writing threads in Perl - I know the theory but have yet to conquer the programming aspect. And I am a lost child when it comes to regex. (also I blame this on laziness because I don't spend enough time to figure it out myself).. At work I have turned into a robot, outputting perl modules that don't even challenge my abilities anymore.

I'll tell you why I frequent Perl Monks. I really had to think about it. I come here because:

• during work I like to do a little chat in the chatterbox with people. - mainly as a form of escape from the redundance of being a robot ;)
• because I get this sense of belonging. Everyone else here likes Perl just like me if not more.
• because vroom likes Primus! (primus sucks!!!)
• because so far everyone has been really nice to me
• and it's fun to post advice - makes me feel SMART!

theorbtwo: fixed link -- thaigrrl has been renamed. (2004-05-12)

--
Me spell chucker work grate. Need grandma chicken.

Writing a good JAPH seems to be a sort of rite of passage into the Perl community in general, and also Perl monks specifically. I'm not yet confident enough in my scripting abilities to attempt one here though...

Why do I come here? Mostly to see all the weird and wonderful things the gods of Perl scripting come up with, and to pick up some useful tips. I'm not the greatest Perl programmer, so I tend not to post a lot, but I have learned a lot in the time I've been visiting Perl Monks. I hope someday to be good enough with the language to contribute something back.

Also, in my opinion your husband shouldn't "ridicule" you. Nobody is born a die-hard Perl scripter (or programmer of any sort, for that matter). You shouldn't have to be one to come here. After all, part of the reason this site exists is to help out new people and expose them to all aspects of Perl and its community. I don't think you're trying too hard, if you're actually interested in even the slightest bit of what goes on here. You'd be surprised how Perl and its community can grow on you.

I think what brings me back.. mostly is learning. I'm still rather new to perl.. but I think it's a great language. :> Usually, I won't go home specifically to code something - but if I do - it's usually to code something useful for me or for someone else. It's almost as if I'm goofing off at home with the language.. but I'm getting something done for someone AND experimenting at the same time. I don't always code in perl.. but I do find it a useful language (especially with unix). Eep, I guess I just sound like a nerd. ;)