PHP - bodge - scale (was Re: [rescue] decisions, decisions)

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Shirker wrote:
> On Tue, 3 May 2005, Joshua Boyd wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Tue, May 03, 2005 at 02:36:54PM +0000, Peter Corlett wrote:
>>
>>>Joshua Boyd <jdboyd at jdboyd.net> wrote:
>>>[...]
>>>
>>>>If a non perl programmer knew what the heck that string was supposed
>>>>to do he might be able to explain how to accomplish the same in
>>>>another language.
>>>
>>>This does the same thing as that Perl script:
>>>
>>>10 PRINT "Scalar found where operator expected at -e line 1, near ""$^$^"""
>>>20 PRINT "        (Missing operator before $^?)"
>>>30 STOP
>>>
>>>(It wasn't valid Perl.)
>>
>>Oh.  I could have sworn you stated it was.  Never mind then.
> 
> 
> It was me that stated it was, and I was joking (exaggeration to make a
> point about the sheer unreadability of Perl code). That line was me just
> mashing keys randomly - something that gives pretty similar-looking
> results to certain Perl code I've worked with before.

I doubt it, unless the Perl programmer was incompetent, and you could 
have done the same thing with any other language.

Perl is quite readable.

A few anti-Perl zealots pick out one line that looks hairy and act like 
every line written is the same.

Most of the "line noise" type Perl comes where you are doing regular 
expressions, and they look like that in just about *ALL* languages.

Perl just happens to lend itself well to frequent use of them.