The Fall of Perl, the Web's Most Promising Language (2014)
The Fall Of Perl, The Web's Most Promising Language
I first heard of Perl when I was in middle school in the early 2000s. It was one of the world’s most versatile programming languages, dubbed the Swiss army knife of the Internet. But compared to its rival Python, Perl has faded from popularity. What happened to the web’s most promising language?Perl’s low entry barrier compared to compiled, lower level language alternatives (namely, C) meant that Perl attracted users without a formal CS background (read: script kiddies and beginners who wrote poor code). It also boasted a small group of power users (“hardcore hackers”) who could quickly and flexibly write powerful, dense programs that fueled Perl’s popularity to a new generation of programmers.A central repository (the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, or CPAN) meant that for every person who wrote code, many more in the Perl community (the Programming Republic of Perl) could employ it. This, along with the witty evangelism by eclectic creator Larry Wall, whose interest in language ensured that Perl led in text parsing, was a formula for success during a time in which lots of text information was spreading over the Internet.As the 21st century approached, many pearls of wisdom were wrought to move and analyze information on the web. Perl did have a learning curve–often meaning that it was the third or fourth language learned by adopters–but it sat at the top of the stack.“In the race to the millennium, it looks like C++ will win, Java will place, and Perl will show,” Wall said in the third State of Perl address in 1999. “Some of you no doubt will wish we could erase those top two lines, but I don’t think you should be unduly concerned. Note that both C++ and Java are systems programming languages. They’re the two sports cars out in front of the race. Meanwhile, Perl is the fastest SUV, coming up in front of all the other SUVs. It’s the best in its class. Of course, we all know Perl is in a class of its own.”Then came the upset.The Perl vs. Python Grudge MatchThen Python came along. Compared to Perl’s straight-jacketed scripting, Python was a lopsided affair. It even took after its namesake, Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Fittingly, most of Wall’s early references to Python were lighthearted jokes at its expense.ABOUT THE AUTHORConor Myhrvold has written about science and technology for Scientific American, Nature, Nautilus, Ars Technica, and Fast Company, among others. He is primarily based in the Seattle area. More