PostgreSQL, Second Edition

Summary

The first time I looked at a Perl program, my reaction was “that is some ugly code.” I still think Perl is an ugly language, but it sure is useful! I am amazed at how quickly you can construct a useful application with Perl.

After reading this chapter, you may think that Perl is great for quick-and-dirty programs, but not for serious applications. I would disagree—like any programming language, you can write incomprehensible code in Perl. But you can also write Perl scripts that are easy to understand and not too difficult to maintain. Include comments in your code. Avoid constructs that are difficult to understand. Perl often offers many ways to do any one thing: Use the most descriptive form, not the most cryptic.

One of the real benefits ...