http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=461339


in reply to Re^2: Developer::Perl::Find
in thread Developer::Perl::Find

Why is this such a huge deal for people? I doubt that java people get riled up when people call it JAVA. Putting a word in all caps needn't imply an acronym, it can be there just for emphasis...
Because it's a clue indicator. If you spell it as "PERL", you're not plugged in to the community. Consider it a secret handshake.

In particular, it also means they haven't read perlfaq1, and probably don't even know the FAQ exists, which probably means they don't know all (or even some of) the resources available in the Perl community.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.

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Re: On the misuse of "PERL"
by Juerd (Abbot) on May 28, 2005 at 17:33 UTC

    Because it's a clue indicator.

    I could not have said it any clearer :)

[reply]
Re: On the misuse of "PERL"
by thor (Priest) on May 28, 2005 at 21:28 UTC
    In particular, it also means they haven't read perlfaq1, and probably don't even know the FAQ exists, which probably means they don't know all (or even some of) the resources available in the Perl community.
    I sometimes read documentation for fun, but not everybody does. Besides, of all the included documentation, I'd say that perlfaq1 is of least importance for day to day work (however, if you need to know where to get Larry Wall quotes, this is the place to look). Also, do you think it's the programmers who are asking for, posting, and proof reading job requisitions? Probably not. Lastly, to imply that you know all of anything is hubris. I leave it to you to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

    thor

    Feel the white light, the light within
    Be your own disciple, fan the sparks of will
    For all of us waiting, your kingdom will come

[reply]
Re: On the misuse of "PERL"
by poqui (Deacon) on Mar 13, 2007 at 18:32 UTC
    I know this is on old thread; but this is probably the best place to post what I have found.

    One should use "Perl" instead of "PERL" because, as a language, especially a technical language, the identification without ambiguity of the semantic structure is of high importance.

    See the Object Modeling Group's "Common Warehouse Metamodel Specification" (OMG CWM v1.1 3/2003) Section 4.3.2.9: Core Metamodel: Expression.
    "An Expression is a statement that will evaluate to a ... set of instances when executed in a context."

    That context is identified by a named language;
    "In general, a language should be spelled and capitalized exactly as it appears in the document defining the language. For example, use COBOL, not Cobol; use Ada, not ADA; use PostScript, not Postscript."

    And I would add: use Perl, not PERL.
[reply]
      Perl (5) has no formal specification, unlike, say C.

      --
      In Bob We Trust, All Others Bring Data.

[reply]
        True, but there is something to be said for wide acceptance in the development community; and a desire to be unambiguous in semantic description.
        How much more "official" do you want to get than "Programming Perl"?
[reply]

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