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Meditation: In front of my nose

by Mission (Hermit)
on Apr 20, 2001 at 17:11 UTC ( [id://74158]=perlmeditation: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??

I have been working very diligently on a perl application which make modifications to text files for a variety of other web pages. I won't bore you with the details, because we all have our own little projects going on.
What I do want to discuss is the following 'realization.' I've been working so hard on this application, and reading at least an hour (usually more) a day of nodes that have been posted on Perl Monks. It dawned on me this AM that my primary interactive source of information (Perl Monks) is actually an enormous version of what I've been building in my current project.
This realization dumbfounded me. Why didn't I notice it earlier that the interface I use to research every day is actually a large perl application? This should be obvious, however I finally reasoned that it was not.
It is common for a Initiate (1) to come to this site and make mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes though is to overlook the beautiful complexity of Perl Monks itself. We get so overwhelmed with information and the community that we forget to look at how this community exists. We couldn't even communicate without Tim Vroom's creation.

My Mediation: Sometimes we need to step back from the work that we are doing. We need to UN-focus. Absorb all that is around us. For me, what I was searching for (try to build) was right in front of me. I couldn't see the 'tree' because I was looking at the 'forest.'

I've been working with Perl for a month now. I must say that I've learned more from Perl Monks than I have from any other source. After I 'learned' the way this community operates (search first, ask questions later OR play nice with others, etc.) I've seen just how beneficial this community and environment can be. I want to thank Tim Vroom for the wonderful work that he has committed to this community.

- Mission
"Heck I don't know how to do it either, but do you think that's going to stop me?!!"

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Meditation: In front of my nose
by dws (Chancellor) on Apr 20, 2001 at 18:37 UTC
    Welcome to one of life's little practical jokes.

    When you realize that you've had your nose up against something for so long that you've missed "the" obvious, beware thinking that the first obvious thing you flash on is the whole story. It may merely be that your tunnel vision has expanded just enough to let something new in. There's usually more out there waiting to be seen. And oft times the universe is quietly snickering, waiting for us to see it.

Re: Meditation: In front of my nose
by tadman (Prior) on Apr 20, 2001 at 21:42 UTC
    If you mean Perl Monks is literally a larger version of your current project, you might want to check out the Everything Engine, which is what powers Perl Monks.

    Of course, you might be speaking figuratively, and merely suggesting that the concept merits further meditation.

    In case you were wondering what that all-powerful 'index.pl' file is, the one that shows up in virtually every URL on this site. Well, here it is (at least for my install):
    #!/usr/bin/perl -w use strict; use Everything::HTML; # >>> Extra Packages # <<< Extra Packages #syntax is "dbname[:user:passwd:host]" mod_perlInit "every:every:XXXXX:";
Re: Meditation: In front of my nose
by how do i know if the string is regular expression (Initiate) on Apr 20, 2001 at 17:50 UTC
    Shouldn't it be I couldn't see the 'forest' because I was looking at the 'tree'?

    I couldn't see the typeglob for I was looking at the array.

    - FrankG

      Actually, a typeglob only has a reference to an array.
        Yes, but I believe that a forest only has a reference to a tree.

        - FrankG

        I wonder if I'll get away with this one.

Re: Meditation: In front of my nose
by kha0z (Scribe) on Apr 21, 2001 at 07:24 UTC
    Its funny how that analogy applies to everything that we do. But perl in essence has evolved not entirely by the way it was designed, but also because its evolution is also driven by its community.

    The perl community is the essence of its culture. The culture is the essence of the language.

    Good Hunting,
    kha0z

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