Re: Future Programming Direction

Learn more Perl if you want to know more Perl. You can't know everything yet. Peruse the perlfaqs for features or tricks you've never used, and study those to see if you could be using them. Learn to use pack and unpack like a pro.

On the other hand, you should learn other languages. Being well-rounded never hurt, and the knowledge and insight you gain from studying other languages can aid your Perl as well. Pick a language that you've always thought sounded pretty cool and go try it out (that's how I started with Perl in the first place). Try doing the things you can do easily in Perl. Try doing the things that are harder in Perl. Try getting into the mindset of that language so you can see problems from different points of view. The more tools you know how to use well, the easier it is to find one of them can solve a certain problem particularly well.

Plus, it always looks good on a resume. ;)

kelan

Perl6 Grammar Student

Comment on Re: Future Programming Direction

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Re: Future Programming Direction by Louis_Wu (Chaplain) on Mar 18, 2003 at 00:32 UTC
Try doing the things you can do easily in Perl. Try doing the things that are harder in Perl. Try getting into the mindset of that language so you can see problems from different points of view. Which begs the questions, "What is the mindset of language X?" and "What is language X good at that Perl isn't?" I know that some of the answers are rather obvious (C is good for system-level work, Java is not too bad for programs which need to run in many different environments, and Lisp is good for writing editors :), but what about the areas which don't scream "Use X to write me!" Where do the newbies (me included) go to discover the mindset of Ruby and how it differs from Perl? How do we get perspective on languages?	[reply]
Re: Re: Re: Future Programming Direction by kelan (Deacon) on Mar 18, 2003 at 15:52 UTC
Find out where there is a community for language X. Find the webboards, the mailing lists, the usenet sections. Start reading. Ask questions, soak in the answers. Be observant of the questions that others ask. Get a feel for how people use the language, what they think it does well and what it does poorly. The best way to learn the mindset of a language is to surround yourself with people who have that mindset and try to understand them. kelan Perl6 Grammar Student	[reply]