Just a thought

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Re: Just a thought by dws (Chancellor) on Feb 16, 2001 at 23:09 UTC
"Blessed are they who count Perl among their tools, for they shall fear no nail."	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by mothra (Hermit) on Feb 17, 2001 at 00:10 UTC
"When <favorite language here> is your only hammer, everything looks like a nail!" This statement is always true, except when it's false. Realistically, there are many languages that allow you to do pretty much anything and everything (C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, VB, etc). But there's a big difference between allowing a task to be done, and providing a path for doing it easily. While Perl allows you to write large GUI apps for end-users, you'd be lucky to come out of the project alive. :) And of course, large GUI app development is just one example of where Perl sucks. :) Why am I "flaming" Perl? I'm not. I'm open-minded as any good hacker (that to which I aspire to be) should be. There are at least 5-6 things that I HATE about any and every language I've ever used, and Perl is no different.	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by clemburg (Curate) on Feb 16, 2001 at 22:56 UTC
There's also this one: To a fool with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. ;-) Christian Lemburg Brainbench MVP for Perl http://www.brainbench.com	[reply]
Re (tilly) 1: Just a thought by tilly (Archbishop) on Feb 16, 2001 at 23:06 UTC
The original, of course, is If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The variant you may be trying to remember is If your only tool is Perl, the whole world is your oyster!	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by mikfire (Deacon) on Feb 16, 2001 at 23:28 UTC
Given a large enough hammer, everything is a nail. mikfire	[reply]
(Guildenstern) Re: Just a thought by Guildenstern (Deacon) on Feb 16, 2001 at 22:45 UTC
I think the phrase you're referring to is "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I must say that I like your version better, because the original (to me) implies that using only one tool can result in things being built improperly. Your version, however, sounds more to me like "We can do just about anything we want in Perl, and even if it's not the perfect tool for the job, it's still pretty good." Guildenstern Negaterd character class uber alles!	[reply]
Re: (Guildenstern) Re: Just a thought by japhy (Canon) on Feb 16, 2001 at 23:49 UTC
I think the saying means that when you only have one tool, you assume that the tool can fix any problem -- a very dangerous assumption. I think the saying is based upon stubbornness and/or ignorance. `japhy` -- Perl and Regex Hacker	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by foo (Beadle) on Feb 17, 2001 at 01:20 UTC
It doesn't really look like anyone cares but the orignal quote was from Abraham Howard Maslow. The exact quote is "If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by coreolyn (Parson) on Feb 17, 2001 at 02:24 UTC
It's hammer time! coreolyn - Can't touch this :)	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by lemming (Priest) on Feb 16, 2001 at 22:49 UTC
IIRC, "When you're only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Can't recall who said it though. (Will Rogers?) I prefer thinking of Perl as the Swiss Army Chainsaw of programming, than a hammer.	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by life_monger (Hermit) on Feb 16, 2001 at 23:10 UTC
I always liked the "Swiss Army Chainsaw" anology myself :-) Was that an original davorg or can that be attributed to someone else?	[reply]
Re: Re: Just a thought by davorg (Chancellor) on Feb 17, 2001 at 12:36 UTC
It wasn't mine. It's been around for years. Not sure where it first came from - but it sounds to me like Larry Wall. -- <http://www.dave.org.uk> "Perl makes the fun jobs fun and the boring jobs bearable" - me	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by Nooks (Monk) on Feb 17, 2001 at 06:28 UTC
A favourite cry around my office is ``Oooh! Look! A nail!!!''. Said in one's vicinity, it's usually an indication one is using one's favourite tool instead of the Right Tool.	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by amelinda (Friar) on Feb 21, 2001 at 02:53 UTC
My favorite variation on this one has got to be: When your only tool is a chainsaw, everything starts to look like a summer camp.	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by Blue (Hermit) on Feb 17, 2001 at 00:40 UTC
Isn't the quote "if it isn't nailed down, it's mine"? Then, of course, Perl is the hammer that nails down everything. Boy, that one industrial-mixed metaphor. Hmm, maybe: "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, but if you have a Swiss Army Chainsaw you can do anything!" Hey wait, that actually works. That's no good. Maybe change it to something about using Perl to pry up things nailed down... =Blue ...you might be eaten by a grue...	[reply]
Re: Just a thought by unixwzrd (Beadle) on Feb 18, 2001 at 08:48 UTC
When all you have is Perl, everything looks like a cammel... Mike "The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen... and stupidity." Harlan Ellison	[reply]