My ramblings about how I think the Perl community should target newcomers in its marketing efforts, and how I've come to appreciate Python and Java's standard libraries and toolsets.

1. The problem with Perl
A semi-informed rant

2. How did I get here?
• C since forever
• 15+ years of Perl
• 4 years of Java
• 9 months of Python

3. Fresh fish
• No one has the time
• No one has the resources
• Ultimately, no one cares

4. But you can just hack
it!
• Point missed
• We are not the audience, the pimple-faced
kids are
• And uninformed C[TI]Os
• This is really about the M word

5. The marketing cycle
• Create new needs
• Find new markets
• Segment
• Goto 10

6. The echo chamber
• No new customers
• Confirmation bias
• Monoculture

7. A Perl client library?
• New and exciting stuff rarely
mentions Perl
• Guess what the early adopters are
not going to see?

8. Batteries not included

9. Batteries not included
Exceptions Databases
Packaging
Sets Audio
Profiling HTTPD
Configuration XML
Images Collections
Types SSL Concurrency
Crypto
XML-RPC Time
EMail Dates Environment
Bootstrapping URLs
HTML REPL PSGI

10. That funky sh*t
• Perl is a visual language: $ @ % &
Python, however, is polite
• “You just need to use Moose”
• Well, not in that other language.

11. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;

12. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;

13. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use feature qw(say);

14. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use feature qw(say);
use v5.10;

15. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use feature qw(say);
use v5.10;
use Modern::Perl ‘v5.10’;

16. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use feature qw(say);
use v5.10;
use Modern::Perl ‘v5.10’;

17. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use feature qw(say);
use v5.10;
use Modern::Perl qw(2009);

18. package MyClass;
use strict;
use warnings;
use Moose;
use namespace::clean -except =>
‘meta’;
use feature qw(say);
use v5.10;
use Modern::Perl qw(2009);

19. package MyClass;
use Moose;
use namespace::clean -except =>
‘meta’;
use Modern::Perl qw(2009);
1;

20. class MyClass:
pass

21. public class MyClass{
}

22. Tools of the trade

23. Tools of the trade
Static analysis Intellisense
Refactoring
Build
Inspections systems
IDEs

24. In Perl land
• Perl Critic
• Carton
• cpanm
• cpanfile

25. It’s not all gloom!

26. I <3 Dist::Zilla
• Perl’s Maven (except better)
• Bootstrap, generate docs, run tests,
package, manage versions, release
• Support for different types of
projects, via templates
• Extensible through plugins

27. HOT DIST::ZILLA
ACTION!!one!
(if you weren’t there, you lose)

28. Insults?
@pfig
me@pedrofigueiredo.org
http://slideshare.net/pfig/the-problem-with-perl