Re: Extract number from character field(Perl syntax) (wayy offtopic)

First, I don't consider RPG to be big at all.  Languages I would consider
to be "big" would be C, BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN and COBOL.  There
are some other languages that a "big" but not quite as much, such as ADA,
LISP, Forth and the like.

Perl has some good things going for it, mainly that it is cross platform.
Just as any computer worth it's weight in copper would have a C,
Basic, Pascal, FORTRAN and COBOL compiler for it they will
most likely have a Perl language.

Perl really picked up with the internet and CGI, but it's pretty much
a cliché, and the internet is too new for things to remain constant.
In all likelihood something will come along to replace Perl as the
de facto parsing language for CGI.  I don't know what language that
would be, but I think it would happen just because Perl is too hard
to figure out from a basis in other programming languages.

Java will become big if it becomes easier to figure out.  Java does
have the advantage that it looks a bit like C code.  It is not impossible
for a non Java programming to figure out what a Java program is
doing, just difficult.

But, a non Perl programming looking at Perl has absolutely no idea
what is going on.

If someone wants to learn Java they have some knowledge they can
take with them, their understanding of C, Pascal and similar languages.
But, learning Perl is a whole new story.  I program a little bit in Perl,
but I do not enjoy it in the least.  Just as I used to program in APL, but
I don't enjoy it.

I could be wrong, and Perl can become used more than any other
language, but I don't see it happening.  There will always be the minority
who will use it, and the people who will learn it to get another notch
in their belt, but the majority of programmers I think will stay away
from it.

Regards,

Jim Langston


> <SNIP>
> As you said, it can be argued that Perl already is big.  It's
> certainly the most popular language for CGI apps, powering
> some of the most popular web sites on the net:  Amazon, Deja,
> Yahoo, and Slashdot to name a few.  As the internet grows, so
> too will Perl.

<SNIP>

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