Re:Perl is not too loose and messy
on
Beyond Java
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Regular expressions can replace pages of code, but that doesn't mean they should. In fact, I recently had to change a Python program I'm writing to use regular expressions less, because the implimentation just wasn't clear enough.
And that ends up being the problem with Perl. The language doesn't encourage clean code. Perl is, and probably always will be, useful for small scripts. But any replacement for Java will need to be managable and maintainable on a larger scale than Perl is capable.
What makes TiVo a great product isn't its PVR functionality, it's the thoughtfully designed interface. This is something I don't think people who havn't used TiVo really understand. From the way it rewinds a little after you stop fast forwarding to the schedule tables, TiVo constantly does things that make me happy. It's like TiVo is my friend. This, I think, is the reason that so many people (myself included) are fanaticaly devoted to their TiVo.
I'm not saying MythTV doesn't have its benefits, but it certainly isn't a replacement for my TiVo.
Have you ever tried to teach someone to play videogames who has never played before? It's almost impossible for them.
You just percieve the game as being easy because you already have the skillset required to play it. I had a friend who had never even touched a console until she was 23. It took almost a month before she could use the controller without looking at it. She still has difficulty with even simple jumping puzzles.
The skill gap between people who play videogames and people who don't is enormous. Mouse-looking, target-switching, D-pad-rolling, and camera-moving may all be second nature to you, but to people new to videogames, it present a real obsticle.
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Regular expressions can replace pages of code, but that doesn't mean they should. In fact, I recently had to change a Python program I'm writing to use regular expressions less, because the implimentation just wasn't clear enough.
And that ends up being the problem with Perl. The language doesn't encourage clean code. Perl is, and probably always will be, useful for small scripts. But any replacement for Java will need to be managable and maintainable on a larger scale than Perl is capable.
Not to mention the first time anyone other than Luc Besson has called The Fifth Element a classic.
To be fair, we don't execute everybody down here. Only poor, black, or mentaly ill people.
Side note: As a closet native Texan, I'm not actualy sure how to react to my state government doing something right...
What makes TiVo a great product isn't its PVR functionality, it's the thoughtfully designed interface. This is something I don't think people who havn't used TiVo really understand. From the way it rewinds a little after you stop fast forwarding to the schedule tables, TiVo constantly does things that make me happy. It's like TiVo is my friend. This, I think, is the reason that so many people (myself included) are fanaticaly devoted to their TiVo.
I'm not saying MythTV doesn't have its benefits, but it certainly isn't a replacement for my TiVo.
You just percieve the game as being easy because you already have the skillset required to play it. I had a friend who had never even touched a console until she was 23. It took almost a month before she could use the controller without looking at it. She still has difficulty with even simple jumping puzzles.
The skill gap between people who play videogames and people who don't is enormous. Mouse-looking, target-switching, D-pad-rolling, and camera-moving may all be second nature to you, but to people new to videogames, it present a real obsticle.