For most of us, "core perl" includes silly things like CGI, DBI, strict, as well as 10,000 other modules that get distributed with Perl. I would NEVER take a job programming in an environment where I had to roll all of my own stuff. It's ridiculous. It would be like going into a C++ shop and being told you couldn't use the String class. What's the point?!?

Many of those modules you're balking at using actually change how "core perl" works. Don't ask me how - I'm not that smart. But, I know they do.

In addition, they work. This is all I need to know. They are "black boxes" to me. I push button X and light Y turns on. I let go and it turns off. I can repeat this to my heart's content. That's the point behind modular programming.

Think of it this way - you use a computer, but I'll bet you've never designed a circuit board, transformer, keyboard, CRT, or operating system. Yet, you use them as "black boxes" all the time. Just think of a module as you would a monitor. :-)

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We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

Don't go borrowing trouble. For programmers, this means Worry only about what you need to implement.