There seems to be a fear among many in the Monastery about OT posts.

The worry is that the whole place will degenerate into a slash like mess of random tangents and flames.

It's one of those things that comes up periodically. Some people will scold you, some might help and many will just downvote it without saying anything. Many think that things that are not Perl related belong strictly in the chatterbox.

Personally, my job involves so many different aspects of programming and Perl being a glue language, I don't mind OT posts. I think it's a problem that should be dealt with when and if it becomes a problem. As long as the signal to noise ratio stays low here, I have no problem just ignoring a post that I don't think is relevant.

I definitely think you took the right tack with the way you worded it "OT - Please don't kick me too hard! ", but while you may have done some research, you couldn't tell from your post. When a generic question is asked here and it doesn't look like the author did any work, it usually falls into the category of homework IMHO.

I think as you spend some more time here, you'll get a better feel for how things work and worst case your node will be reaped or you might lose some XP, I wouldn't sweat it. There are some great Perl hackers here willing to help you on your path to Perl enlightenment. You can learn a lot here , even if you already know a lot.

As you are new here, you will probably find the Perl Monks guide to the Monastery and Perl Monks Site FAQ helpful.

-Lee

"To be civilized is to deny one's nature."