There's really no way to fix this and still keep Perl pathologically eclectic.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Perl's eclectic nature makes it impossible to fix without losing its character.
- In plain terms
- You can't tidy Perl up without losing its essence.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept Perl's messiness as part of its identity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is eclecticism a strength or a weakness?
- How to balance tradition and improvement?
Another view
Eclecticism can hinder maintainability for newcomers.
More from Larry Wall
The problem with being consistent is that there are lots of ways to be consistent, and they're all inconsistent with each other.
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Permalink to quote #291 The three chief virtues of a programmer are: Laziness, Impatience and Hubris.
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