http://qs321.pair.com?node_id=959855

On the fwp mailing list, BooK has proposed a new Perl secret operator.

There is a battle ensuing over its name: does ~~<> more closely resemble sperm or a kite?

Perl Secret Operator References

Many References added long after original reply was made

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator (kite)
by tye (Sage) on Mar 16, 2012 at 03:14 UTC

    It is clearly a kite. Which makes sense as it provides a feature that is tied to one line, a string, as it were.

    If you don't like it, you can use Elton John glasses, ().<> or <>.(), instead. Or even add an ear, q().<>.

    - tye        

      I really like this explanation for the name. Well, "kite" is pretty descriptive in itself (and one line ASCII art is limited, so it shouldn't be surprising that the same string of characters can represent several completely unrelated things), but this explanation adds meaning.

      It would be very hard to find such a good explanation for "sperm". Of course I could write something like:

      @twins = ( ~~<>, ~~<> );
      And claim the outer parentheses form the egg. But then the discussion would turn to biology, and how this is not how twins are formed.

Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by jdporter (Paladin) on Mar 15, 2012 at 21:33 UTC

    Smooth operator, of course

Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by morgon (Priest) on Mar 15, 2012 at 21:21 UTC
    To me it looks more like a little mouse with a long tail.

    But introducing a sperm-operator should guarantee Perl a top spot on reddit...

Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Mar 15, 2012 at 22:13 UTC

    Sorry to be miserable, but is this really news?

    And was the fact that half dozen people wasted half an hour discussing that a tilde looks vaguely like a sperm, (if you squint hard and are 12y/o; {tee he}{giggle}) so good that it needed a wider audience?

    Okay. Got it off my chest; now the world can show me what a killjoy I am.


    With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
    Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
    "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
    In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

    The start of some sanity?

Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by tobyink (Canon) on Mar 16, 2012 at 08:00 UTC

    Wiggly one line operator

    perl -E'sub Monkey::do{say$_,for@_,do{($monkey=[caller(0)]->[3])=~s{::}{ }and$monkey}}"Monkey say"->Monkey::do'
Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by Khen1950fx (Canon) on Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 UTC
    This seems more aerodynamic than a kite: ~><> Call it the rocket operator?

      Too ambiguous. Many Ruby users call the fat comma (=>) the "hash rocket", and in Perl the numeric comparison operator (<=>) is often referred to as the "spaceship operator".

      perl -E'sub Monkey::do{say$_,for@_,do{($monkey=[caller(0)]->[3])=~s{::}{ }and$monkey}}"Monkey say"->Monkey::do'

      At least it shares one property with a rocket: it blows up.

      - tye        

Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 15, 2012 at 20:49 UTC
    double tildy diamond or ddd for short
Re: BooK proposes a new Perl secret operator
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 19, 2012 at 06:29 UTC
    Where can I read a list of all such operators and their definitions?

      A recent comprehensive (draft) summary of all known secret operators, written by BooK, can be found at github perlsecret man page.