Re: Revisiting the old clichés of programming languages

[sundialsvc4]

Personally, I conclude that “clichés are just that ... clichés.” They're vast oversimplifications, good for baiting the occasional “troll” but frankly not worth the time of day. (C'mon, how many times has any statement featuring the word “all,” really turned out to be worthwhile?)

We are lucky to be a part of a hair-pulling profession that changes sometimes by the month. Technologies that spring to life with much fanfare (and many O'Reilly books...) are sometimes “dead” within a year.

(Of course, those “dead” artifacts are now in production and will have to be maintained ... forever.)

I do believe, therefore, that it is very significant that “Perl is still here.” Since we typically don't have a huge marketing-engine selling “a piping hot cup of Perl”   :-D   to the bigwigs in the ivory tower, this demand must be coming from the field, where “the soldiers themselves” are fighting the battles, and, to the extent that they can, are choosing their weapons. It must be they, and their field-commanders, who are choosing Perl ... and who keep choosing it.

I think that distinction is hugely important. “Don't watch what people say. Watch what they do.” If you observe any tool that has been in-use for more than ten years, and that still attracts the attention and dedication (and the volunteered time) of a very large group of professional programmers, pay attention to that tool. Perl is one.

[fullermd]

Personally, I conclude that “clichés are just that ... clichés.” They're vast oversimplifications, good for baiting the occasional “troll” but frankly not worth the time of day.

Funny. "They're vast oversimplifications" is exactly the failing of cliches in general, but it's also the failing of your statement :)

I think you'd have a very hard time making "all perl programmers are green-haired chinchillas" into a widely-accepted cliche. Ditto for "SQL is used for low-level programming close to the metal". The reason cliches become cliches is that they have (or at least had at the time they became widespread) some level of truth about them. The reason cliches are disparaged (if it weren't disparaged, it wouldn't be called cliche) is that the truth is generally one-sided or outdated.

The problem with cliches only comes when you accept them as the whole story, or as eternal verities. A completely false cliche, with no actual justification or germ of truth behind it, is a rather rare species.

[sundialsvc4]

But all Perl programmers are green-haired chinchillas! ...

[fullermd]

Phew!

I was afraid it was only me...

[holli]

C'mon, how many times has any statement featuring the word “all,” really turned out to be worthwhile?

All dogma is false.