Thank you for posting something that crystalizes a point I've been trying to make for many posts now. We all have something in common...we want to learn Perl. Let's focus on that, instead of the petty little differences.

As the parent of a 2-1/2 year old, I understand about tying shoes. And Baby Perl, if only obliquely. However, I don't upbraid my daughter when she pokes about, I don't scream at her when she's kneed me in the unmentionables *again*. It hurts, oh yeah. I want to scream at her. Oh, *yeah*. But, I don't. Why? Because she's going through a learning curve, too. I refuse to subject her to the same training I had.

My point is, you are very correct. We have a goal and a mission. Let's get the job done and foster a spirit of cooperation and acceptance unseen in any other community. Let's stop playing games with each other and start teaching how to write good ones, or secure ones, or whatever.

To paraphrase a certain election slogan, "It's the code, stupid."

--f