That can be a huge task. In addition to the issues with understanding what drives programming (some combination of artistic bent and scientific discipline), there's the fact that the broad syntax and intriguing complexity of Perl makes it hard to see if someone is a good programmer overall in Perl.

I emphasis "overall" because I recommend that, instead, you try to find out if a programmer is a good fit for your team. Oftentimes, you don't need the "superstar" programmer, but someone who writes steady, lean code that's well-commented and self-contained enough to work with other person's code on the team. that's something that "raw" programming talent won't show, but, to me, is more critical than if they can write Slashdot 5.0 in 2 days flat.

Having said that, I just pulled my copy of Perl Medic from the shelves, recalling a piece in it. I highly recommend this book, in general, as it covers many Perl coding practices that get overlooked, are are signs of good/great programmers. Specifically, for your question, he mentions, on pg. 65-67, Tom Christiansen's somewhat-tongue-in-cheek Seven Levels of Perl Mastery, and then goes on to list 10 of his own, updated for things like using CPAN. If you really need "levels", get Perl Medic, and read Tom's list, as a starting point for your own considerations with regards to your team's needs.

Does that help? without knowing more about what you're looking for, it's hard to say exactly what source of information will aid you in eval'ing programmers...

----Asim, known to some as Woodrow.

In reply to Re: Competency for perl by Asim
in thread Competency for perl by chennaiite

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