note
merlyn
I couldn't let this untruth stand unchallenged:
<blockquote><i>
Perl is not C++. It isn't type-safe
</i></blockquote>
While the first part is certainly true, the second part is absolutely not. Perl is compile-time type-safe in that a scalar cannot be accessed as a hash or array, nor can an array be accessed as a scalar or hash, etc etc.
Perl is also run-time type-safe in that an object method cannot be called on an object that does not understand it without triggering an exception.
<P>
Just because Perl is "smalltalk-like" in its type safety doesn't mean you have to "dis" it if you've only seen Java and C++ type-safety.
<p>
And for the record, I prefer Perl's type safety to "always and only compile-time" type-safety in those other languages. For every hour you spend "working around" those, you could have been coding another useful hour instead.
<p>
Compile-time type safety is neither
necessary nor sufficient.
<p>-- <a href="http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/">Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker</a></p>
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