Well, tables (as furniture) aren't permanent as well; as soon as it starts to show age or wear, it will be replaced, just as perl scripts that don't scale well or keep up with current technologies. It's just that Internet time is much faster than real time, thus, an unchanged perl script might be outdated within 5 years, while a table may take 20.

Another point to consider, to continue your analogy; most furniture makers tend to put their heart into making their table or whatever, and thus while the table may never be used or sold, they feel they've done a good job. With perl scripts, you can also put your heart into making it as good and effective as possible; even if no one but yourself uses it, you've at least tried to offer something.

While 10 years might be questionable (will the Internet be as we know it now?), there is certainly nothing wrong with crafting web sites and script as long as you continue to derive both benefit and enjoyment from it. You just need to keep an open mind and continue to watch as the web continues to evolve, grasping new technologies and experimenting with them, as maybe within 10 years, you'll find yourself not only a perlmonk, but an XMLmonk, an UNIXmonk, and the-next-big-thingmonk. Its' not knowing perl (or any one language) to the point of quoting the standard that will get you a paying job, but knowing how to use one language effectively with other standards or languages. As perl is quite well adapted to staying with the current computer technology, this is an added benefit of using perl compared to other languages.

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Dr. Michael K. Neylon - mneylon-pm@masemware.com || "You've left the lens cap of your mind on again, Pinky" - The Brain