Re: [MacPerl] List objective to increase MacPerl use?

[Kevin van Haaren <kevinv@sound.net>]

At 10:14 AM -0700 6/6/98, Robert Link wrote:
[snip]
>PJS: You can learn a lot about Perl by reading the routines in the lib
>folder. You should also get into the habit of using the lib routines in
>your own scripts rather than trying to reinvent the wheel each time. It's
>much easier to read Shakespeare than to write it.
>RL:  I agree on learning by reading the work of others, but TIMTOWTDI
>implies TIMTOWTITW (InventTheWheel).  The Shakespeare reference is
>insultingly patronizing.
>
[more snip]
>Sincerely,
>
>Robert Link
>rlink@west.net
>http://www.west.net/~rlink/home.htm
>Favorite Oxymoron:  "Objective Empiricism"

Just a general rant not directed at any person, but I've gotten tired of
the "don't reinvent the wheel" comment.  If we didn't reinvent the wheel
every once in a while we'd still be riding around on stone wheels.
Reinventing the wheel should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it
isn't always a bad thing.

And of course if you're trying to build a wheel, reinventing one is a great
way to learn.  I decided to write my own HTML::Table module instead of
using the CPAN one because I thought it would be an easy introduction to OO
programming in perl (I was right).  If I got stuck it gave me a reference
to compare my own work against (instead of bothering people on the
list....)  Of course if the point had been to whip together a web page
system using tables as quickly as possible I would've grabbed the CPAN one,
instead I invented my own wheel -- and I think I was right in doing it.

And on Shakespeare I can only say it's easier to read it (well maybe), but
if you want to be a great writer you're going to need to take a stab at
writing some of your own someday.

Kevin
kevinv@sound.net



***** Want to unsubscribe from this list?
***** Send mail with body "unsubscribe" to mac-perl-request@iis.ee.ethz.ch