Dan Smith: I've tried (in vi) 'g/[a-z] [a-z]/s//_/'...but that doesn't cut it. Any ideas? (I take it that it may be a two-pass sort of solution). Larry Wall: In the first pass, install perl. :-)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Wall jokes that installing Perl is the first step to solving a vi sorting problem, implying Perl’s power.
- In plain terms
- Install Perl first to solve the problem.
- What can you take from it?
- Leverage the right tool for the job.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When should you switch tools?
- What are the trade‑offs of using Perl?
Another view
Perl may not always be the best fit for every task.
More from Larry Wall
It won't be covered in the book. The source code has to be useful for something, after all... :-)
Permalink to quote #15 Let's say the docs present a simplified view of reality... :-)
Permalink to quote #17 It's documented in The Book, somewhere...
Permalink to quote #14
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