I was just kidding! : ) I have no sense of humor, so... all in good fun. Actually, I respect your message a lot. We must work hard if we are to earn the reward. I am acutely aware of this as I am brand new to Perl and since doing my first couple of scripts, I find that I am indeed going to have to continue to push myself to learn this wonderful and complex language! It is hard work, but I know it will be worth it. Thanks for your encouragement. I am an advocate of the difficult path (as it is necessary to earn the greatest reward!). BTW: Chris DiBona: I think I understand why you despise Python and thanks for the Linux book!!!