in reply to Why does PerlMonks rock?

Nobody else seems to have mentionned the idea, but could the sense of community felt by the monks be born out of some instinctive protective mechanism against the "existential" threat that represents Python, Ruby, and others, all considered by some more 'cool' or marketable than Perl? In other words, I wonder if it would be harder to recreate PerlMonks for a technology that isn't threatened in some way (or considers itself to be).

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Re^2: Why does PerlMonks rock?
by ELISHEVA (Prior) on Mar 29, 2009 at 15:13 UTC

    That's not my experience at all. I'm here because I find a group of very human and intellectually stimulating people who share my interests - it is that simple. It gives me an opportunity to help others even as I'm getting something back. That's a rare opportunity in life - either on or off line.

    Best, beth

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Re^2: Why does PerlMonks rock?
by tilly (Archbishop) on Mar 30, 2009 at 02:53 UTC
    When PerlMonks got off the ground in 2000, there was no such existential angst. Furthermore if the sense of community was tied up with such a "circling the wagons" mentality, you would expect to see significant knee-jerk responses against people like me who occasionally suggest that it is worthwhile to learn other languages. And I have not experienced that.
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Re^2: Why does PerlMonks rock?
by pileofrogs (Priest) on Mar 30, 2009 at 18:43 UTC

    I hear about this so-called threat, but I've never seen anything to make me nervous. I get to choose what technology I use, and as long as I use perl, I can ask questions on PerlMonks, so I continue to use perl. The only state that would constitute a threat would be if the community dwindled to a size where it could no longer support itself, and that's not going to happen.

    --Pileofrogs

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