• Use arrays and hashes, not gazillions of variables with different suffixes.
• Modularize your code. Learn to use modules. Or at least use subroutines instead of cutting and pasting, for goodness sake.
• Make a conscious effort to do things in a Perlish way, e.g. prefer Perlish for loops to C-style for loops.
• RTFM: Frequently consult `perldoc`, the Camel Book, and PerlMonks.
• Use perl to run Perl, and never write PERL.
• Understand that regexes cannot be mastered in a day. Understand what your regexes actually mean.
• Try new things. It's okay to be wrong if you learn from your mistakes.

-- Mike

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just,my${.02}