A 'goto' in Perl falls into the category of hard things that should be possible, not easy things that should be easy.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Goto is a hard problem that should be possible, not an easy one that should be simple.
- In plain terms
- Goto is a difficult task that must be doable, not a trivial one that should be easy.
- What can you take from it?
- Treat complex features as challenges to solve, not shortcuts to expect.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you balance difficulty with usability?
- When is a hard feature justified?
Another view
Labeling it as hard may discourage necessary use.
More from Larry Wall
It would be possible to optimize some forms of goto, but I haven't bothered.
Permalink to quote #111 How do Crays and Alphas handle the POSIX problem?
Permalink to quote #113 I hope I'm not getting so famous that I can't think out load [sic] anymore.
Permalink to quote #110
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