Thanks for your comments and the recommended reading, I see your point and agree, when it matters the best solution for the job is the only way to go, and I one thing i do know is anything I produce definitely isn't that!.

I do use modules various things, but I try to get a good hold on what core perl can do for me, then I look for modules to do it better and easier in the future. I'm constantly dropping my ways of doing things for a better method or implementation, sometimes by way of a module. on the other hand sometimes I find a function I've already done is already implemented in a module but prefer my method because it's more relevant to my application.

Please understand the work I am doing with perl here is VERY non critical, their just bits a pieces to be of use to my fellow employees. Sometimes I could have downloaded a whole application to do what I've done, but it wouldn't have everything I need and I couldn't easily modify it for my own purposes.

I work in a call center environment and perform many other tasks of which (thankfully) I do better than programming, but this is what is increasingly catching my interest and where I am leaning towards in my career. hopefully when I am doing more serious work with perl, I will be doing things ethically,

thanks for your advice