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Fun With Perl

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Archives:

Through Dec. 2000, visit the http://bumppo.net/lists/fun-with-perl

Archives starting July 2001 http://archive.d evelooper.com/fwp@perl.org/

What, you ask, is Fun With Perl?

I'm glad you asked.

The Linux Weekly News described FWP as:

"It appears to be intended primarily as a way of sending around interesting bits of Perl code, including bad, humorous, or obfuscated ways of doing things (as well as good stuff, of course)."

Recently I described it as:

If you enjoy Perl puzzles, consider joining the Fun With Perl mailing list, a list devoted to Perlmania (perhaps I should change the name :-) specifically Puzzles, Obfuscation, Simplification, and Myriad WTDI (both the Elegant and the Egregious).

On June 5, 1999, I sent out the original notice. It said:

About a year ago, I started to collect little bits of Perl code that I think are worthy of mention (or at least of saving) for some reason ("worthy" here means _I_ thought so). Maybe they're bits that could someday go into a Perl puzzle book or exercise article, or... maybe they're things I would have done differently, or... maybe they are examples of a form that could be called "What is wrong with this picture?". Maybe they are just a set of examples that prove TMTOWTDI (There's More Than One Way To Do It). [Sometimes they prove that just because TMTOWTDI, doesn't mean you _should_).

Here, for example, is one of my favorite lines from much code at my previous company; to me, this rather epitomizes the central tenets of Fun With Perl 

      system("date | perl -p -e 'chop' >> $timef");
no comment required here, I think... (if you want one, let me know).

In essence, "Fun With Perl" is things I think are worth mentioning to Perlish friends I think would get a kick out of them.

The more, the merrier, (the more the examples :-). So I thought I'd make a real mailing list and throw it open to more than just my small original list of Perl buddies. The list will not be moderated. But there will be a listmom. So play nice.

There will be room for pure style discussion, but generally we're looking for things people thought should work (but didn't), things they thought shouldn't work (but did), multiple ways to do it (where the elegant way is so obvious when seen next to the others)...

And, of course, puzzles :-)

Mailing List Administrivia

The Fun With Perl mailing list is open subscription, restricted post.

That means anyone can join but you can only post from a subscribed address. Non-subscribers posts will be "moderated".

Rules:

  1. Try to stay on topic and avoid meta-discussions. Discussions of Style, indentation preferences, why Larry included a particular function, why a module should be in the "core", how the guts of sort work, or why you think postfix statement modifiers are an abomination ... are not "Fun with Perl"

  2. This is not a "How do I?" list or a "What did I do wrong?" list. It is a list in appreciation of Perl and TMTOWTDI. Ordinary "How?" and "Why?" questions belong in comp.lang.perl.{misc,mod}. Advocacy questions belong on the advocacy list. Fun With Perl is for questions of:

    • How do I do it... in fewer lines of code?
    • How do I do it... More elegantly?
    • How do I do it ... more perlishly.

    as well as, simply,

    Wouldja Look at THIS!

  3. Please don't spoil puzzles by posting the answer at the same time Often, a lot of the fun is in working it out ourselves

    OK...I think I see it. But... _why_ does that work? (at all, better, whatever).

  4. No names (unless it's yours). Since we're all going to point fingers and giggle, let's not name names. Let's leave out the names of the perpetrators (unless they're us :)

  5. Of course, there's plenty of room for sniggers, but please be gentle when critiquing another list member; i.e. use caution if there is no anonymity!

    Can you believe he did it this way?!

    Look what I did wrong! And it worked too!

    See how I took this code I got and improved it and boiled it down to THIS!

  6. Stay away from heavy criticism of other list members (this should go without saying :-( The Theme is Fun With Perl not "My Way is Better than Your Way". Critiques are OK, but you need to say _why_ you think one way is "better" (or another simply won't work). And be nice about it!

  7. Not everyone is at the same level. I hope we won't feel afraid to ask "How DOES that WORK?!" And won't feel bad (a little chagrined maybe) if you find yourself saying "I did that... was it wrong? Oh.")

  8. Everybody try not to be _too_ smug when explaining ... ;)

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This page was last updated: 14:20 on July 24, 1999.