I'm still very new to Perl, but I would say Perl could do virtually anything that one needs it to be used for.

Almost certainly however, any language can do virtually anything. You could probably* make a port of the Linux kernel to perl, or to visual basic. I believe it comes down to 'the right tools for the job'. In some instances, Perl is the best thing to use to get something done, and at other times the language will do the job just as well as a select few others. (I'm thinking of PHP and ASP for web development in particular).

There's no great language in my opinion. Perhaps, after learning enough computing and programming concepts we can identify what language is the most sutable for our task, use it, or (hopefully) learn enough of it, to get our job done. FoxtrotUniform mentions one application (Real-time 3D) where perl may be akin to using a screwdriver on a nail or maybe a hammer on a screw.**

 

* Okay, you may or may not be able to re-write the linux kernel in Perl or VB, but I think there are quite few programs that can be. I don't want to start a long thread on whether you can/can not do this with Linux as this is not what this meditation is about.

** Bad analogies are my forte.

In reply to Re: Is Perl the End-All? by metafizz
in thread Is Perl the End-All? by bladx

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