in reply to Why aren't perl regular expressions really regular expressions?

They've answered the what, here's the why:

The 'regular languages' that could be defined in terms of those original 'regular expressions' were so limited as to be practically useless beyond the kind of pointless exams questions so beloved of academia.

They had to made irregular, to become useful. And despite that the purists hate the irregularity, they've not come up with anything better.

A bit like the Perl language itself; much of its power derives directly from its irregularity.

Rant:

<Reveal this spoiler or all in this thread>
With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I'm with torvalds on this
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. Agile (and TDD) debunked
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