Originally published at Perl Weekly 606

Hi there,

Do you remember the first programming language you picked up?

I am sure in the life span of a programmer, one picks more than one programming language but still have special place for one. I remember during my first encounter in the year 1993, I was introduced to COBOL as part of the course I joined immediately after getting through 12th or (+2 as some remember). I had only access to PC at the institute and that too 2 times a week for one hour each. Imagine relying on books and nothing else, I was attracted towards many other programming languages. During that period, I picked up Fortran as well and I loved it more than COBOL. When I got bored of Fortran, I went to Pascal. That too didn't last long before I moved to C. I stayed with C longer than any of the programming languages I picked before. I remember when I moved to Mumbai for a better opportunity in the year 1997, I hardly got any offer so I took a part-time job to build a desktop application for a small factory using FoxPRO. It was during this period, I got the offer to join a startup looking for fresher willing to learn Perl. It was my first proper job as a programmer. Infact, I was given two choices, Perl or Java. I choose Perl as it was easier to move from C. And here I am today, in the year 2023, working as a Perl Developer.

Reason I am sharing my story is last week I came across some post on social media talking about (again) Perl is dead or not moving fast enough to keep up with the younger generations. I don't want to repeat what is said in favour or against Perl but it pains to see not many coming forward to stop the lies. I remember when Perl v5.36 was released, it made a big impact and everyone started talking about it. I even did daily series on the new features of latest release. I have kept it recorded in the GitHub repository for anyone to have a look. In few months time, there is going to be another big release that every Perl fans are looking forward to it. So to all ignorants and haters, Perl is not going anywhere and will remain stronger as ever.

Just for fun, I asked ChatGPT his views on Perl. I must say it didn't dissappoint me. It tried to be polite and diplomatic in his response. I liked it. Please don't get me wrong, I don't live in the fantasy world. I know the fact, we don't have many new projects being developed in Perl. So what? That doesn't make it any lesser than others. You can try other while still in love with Perl. I am not suggesting you do but if you do then there is nothing wrong in it. I know many experts in Perl equally good in many other languages. You can find them doing weekly challenges in so many different languages.

The moral of the story, Perl will remain my first love no matter what. How about you, Perl fans?

Last but not the least, Enlightened Perl Organisation (EPO) is closing down, Mark Keating made it public the sad news. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Keating and his entire team for all the hard work and support, specially to the London Perl Workshop.

Please enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

--
Your editor: Mohammad S. Anwar.

Announcements

This week in PSC (099)

Another round of update by the Perl Steering Coundil

EPO closing down

Last week it was made public that the iconic EPO is closing down. Thank you Mark and his entire team for all the hard work and support.

Articles

Improvements to Planet Perl and Perlanet

Planet Perl? Well if you don't know about it then please do checkout the latest work done by Dave to make it even better.

Simple avatars

Do you like Avatars? If yes then please do checkout this blog post. It has plenty to keep you busy.

Terminal avatars

Well, having done the image avatars before, it is time to do terminal. Go for it.

mobundle gets some love

mobundle? never heard of it before. time to checkout now.

CPAN

Data::Resolver - trial release with OOP interface

A triak release waiting for you. Please share your feedback with the author.

CPAN Tester rock!

CPAN Tester done it again one more time. Wekk done.

The Weekly Challenge

The Weekly Challenge by Mohammad Anwar will help you step out of your comfort-zone. You can even win prize money of $50 Amazon voucher by participating in the weekly challenge. We pick one winner at the end of the month from among all of the contributors during the month. The monthly prize is kindly sponsored by Peter Sergeant of PerlCareers.

The Weekly Challenge - 207

Welcome to a new week with a couple of fun tasks: "Keyboard Word" and "H-Index". If you are new to the weekly challenge, why not join us and have fun every week? For more information, please read the FAQ.

RECAP - The Weekly Challenge - 206

Enjoy a quick recap of last week's contributions by Team PWC dealing with the "Shortest Time" and "Array Pairings" tasks in Perl and Raku. You will find plenty of solutions to keep you busy.

Paired Time

The detailed discussion of solutions is always the highlight for me. You don't want to miss it.

Perl weekly challenge 206

Nice attractive blog post showing the power of Raku. Thanks for sharing.

Maximum sum of pair minimums

Kudos to Bob for taking time to share the optimal solution and discussed it too. Thank you.

Partial Content

Clever and smart solution using CPAN. Thanks for sharing the experience with us.

PWC206 - Shortest Time

Having solutions in Perl and Raku side by side is so much fun to see the two different approaches to solve the task. Thnk you for everything.

PWC206 - Array Pairings

Here is Perl expert getting his hand dirty with Raku. Truly inspirational.

The Weekly Challenge 206

If you are looking for high performance solutions then this is the place to watch out. Keep it up great work.

Perl Weekly Challenge 206: Shortest Time and Array Pairings

Compact solutions in Perl and Raku. Even the hard task looks simple when it comes to Laurent's solution. Well done.

hard times!

A very raw solution in Raku showing the internals. Cool attempt. Thanks for sharing.

Perl Weekly Challenge 206

Using CPAN, the solutions look sleek and trendy. Well done and thanks for sharing.

Weekly challenge 206

The task analysis is so fun to read. You learn a lot from the process. Keep it up great work.

The Weekly Challenge #206

Handmade crafty solutions this week. Well done.

Array Time!

Ruby is the pick of the language for the blogging this week. All Ruby fans go for it.

Weekly Challenge 206

I would recommend you checkout the task analysis and the whole process. Loved it.

Rakudo

2023.09 Docu Renewed

Weekly collections

NICEPERL's lists

Great CPAN modules released last week;
MetaCPAN weekly report;
StackOverflow Perl report.

Perl Jobs by Perl Careers

Senior Perl Developer with Cross-Trained Chops. UK Remote Perl Role

Our client is looking for senior Perl developers, Node engineers, and those with mighty Python and SQL skills to lead their team. Cross-trained team members are their sweet spot, and whether you’re cross-trained yourself or are open to the possibility, this may be your perfect role.

Adventure! Senior Perl roles in Malaysia, Dubai and Malta

Clever folks know that if you’re lucky, you can earn a living and have an adventure at the same time. Enter our international client: online trading is their game and they’re looking for Perl folks with passion, drive, and an appreciation for new experiences along with a strong background in Modern Perl – Moose and PSGI/Plack, and a solid grounding in using Perl’s testing tools.

C, C++, and Perl Software Engineers, Let’s Keep the Internet Safe. UK Remote Perl Role

A leading digital safeguarding solutions provider is looking for a software engineer experienced in C, C++, or Perl. You’ll have strong Linux knowledge and a methodical approach to problem solving that you use to investigate, replicate, and address customer issues. Your keen understanding of firewalls, proxies, Iptables, Squid, VPNs/IPSec and HTTP(S) will be key to your success at this company.

You joined the Perl Weekly to get weekly e-mails about the Perl programming language and related topics.

Want to see more? See the archives of all the issues.

Not yet subscribed to the newsletter? Join us free of charge!

Perl Weekly #606 - First Love Perl?