I know the slogans about "baby perl" and "getting the job done". They were true when I started using perl in 1989. They are not true as far newcomers are concerned. You are confusing the slogan with the reality. One of the problem is that perl5 is now a senescent language. But that's ok. it has done its time, paved the way for the next generation, and perl6 is around the corner. And the experience we got with perl5 will give us a head start on perl6

perl5 has become a cave with a lot of twisty passages and like you said, "treasure everywhare" if you got time to spare. My point was that most people don't have that time, and don't want to put up with the junk for the sake of the jewels.

An example to support my point: suppose you are a Unix guru but a perl beginner and you want to build a server of some sort. You know this will be based on sockets and you will find the documentation about the socket() function but you won't easily find doc about the Socket module, or higher level modules to build server or even the POE module.

perl5 is dying of entropy. There are many jewels around but hidden in so much crap that has no sense but historical.

Some language like Python or Ruby are cleant up perl5 but they are only that. Hopefully, with perl6, we will be able to start again with experience without the uneeded baggage and with the vision of Larry and Damian.

If we don't have the courage to admit what perl5 is and to wait for perl6, the relevant slogan is John's ones: "We are fucked...". Don't trade on the glorious past but prepare for the future.

-- stefp -- check out TeXmacs wiki