Re^5: perl not omnipotent? let's see!

I consider perlfaq1 the definitive reference. As it says, "...perl is not an acronym, apocryphal folklore and post-facto expansions notwithstanding."

Note that I have seen Larry Wall claim that he settled on the name Perl partially because he liked the fact that it could expand both to Practical Extraction and Report Language and Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister. Which is why both of those are in the perl manpage.

Comment on Re^5: perl not omnipotent? let's see!

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Re^6: perl not omnipotent? let's see! by spiritway (Vicar) on Oct 19, 2005 at 04:51 UTC
OK, but in perl.pod, the name of the program is listed as "Practical Extraction and Report Language". This doc was written by Larry Wall with "oodles of other people", and I know Larry and company love to play around... so the issue seems unclear to me. I kind of like the Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister, myself...	[reply]
Re^7: perl not omnipotent? let's see! by tilly (Archbishop) on Oct 19, 2005 at 05:47 UTC
Look at the BUGS section of perl.pod. You'll find that Perl actually stands for Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister, but don’t tell anyone I said that. That is as definitive as the name at the top. However both perlfaq1.pod (which was also written by Larry Wall and Co.) and interviews that I've seen with Larry confirm that Perl is not an acronym. However as http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3394 indicates, he did come up with the backronyms in the same time frame that he was naming the language. I can't honestly say that I've directly heard confirmation of this from Larry's own lips. But I have from multiple other people who are in a good position to know, including Randal Schwartz. So while the issue may seem unclear to you, it is not to me, and it is not to anyone who is prominent in the Perl community. The expansions in perl.pod are jokes. Perl is not an acronym.	[reply]
Re^8: perl not omnipotent? let's see! by spiritway (Vicar) on Oct 19, 2005 at 22:14 UTC
Yes, of course you are correct. The authoritative answer is that Perl is not an acronym. You, Randal Schwartz, and others who know this, say so with no hesitation - and you ought to know the truth about it. However, for someone like me, not prominent in the Perl community (or anywhere else), the only way to know this is through authority. The documents, sometimes by the same authors, are often contradictory. What are obvious jokes to the "in" crowd are not so obvious to those who are new. And that was my point.	[reply]


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