I think it's a matter of using the right tool for the right job.

I own (or have access to) every single Perl book published by O'Reilly, and several others. At any given time I usually have several of them scattered on my desk. So yes, I like books. For language-related reference, nothing beats O'Reilly's pocket reference, or the Camel for more detailed stuff.

But sometimes I find it easier to find things in perldocs. For one, module documentation, which is not in any book (other than the "Perl resource kit" from O'Reilly, but that is terribly outdated). But let's say I don't quiite remember the syntax for some function, sometimes nothing beats "perldoc -f function". Or for special variables, "perldoc perlvar" and grepping for the appropriate keywords.

So I guess I agree with your meditation. I like books, but I'm glad perldoc exists.

--ZZamboni

(Oh, and yes, Conway's advanced OO session at TPC4.0 was truly awe-inspiring)