On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, Jeffrey Baker wrote:
> Most people are lazy. Since it is easier to get started with
> VB/ASP/Crapomatic-9000, most people are going to start there. The
> people with real initiative and drive will always find their way over to
> mod_perl or other advanced solutions. The only way to make more people
> use mod_perl is to make mod_perl easier for the lazy people. I think
> dougm's book and your upcoming book will do a lot to make mod_perl more
> accessible.
i definitely agree that most people are lazy. (some even refuse to use
capital letters! :-) my first experience programming for desktop or web
came from redmondware, but i was convinced that wasn't the best way to
program. a friend told me about linux and perl, and i was on my way.
it's been a difficult row to hoe at times, which is why i left my m$ past
to find a unix shop w/guys to help me learn. making the transition from
CGI to mod_perl was a conceptual leap for me that took several weeks to
digest, but less time than it took for me to go from vb/pascal to perl,
and less time for me to learn basic system tasks in moving from windows to
*nix.
after a great deal of effort expended learning how to do everything in the
unix/perl/apache/mod_perl world -- everything from compiling my own
kernels
and packages to using $r -- i would agree that creating paths to learning
that are well illuminated and logical in structure is a Good Thing(tm).
as long as we never think that the way to increase the popularity of
*nix-based tools is to dumb them down. if people are capable and
will to learn perl and apache and such, they will. if they're not, they
won't.
i hope that doesn't come off as elitist, but i feel there's something to
be said for paying your dues. if you want a gourmet meal, you're going to
have to learn to cook it yourself (w/a substantial time investment) or
you're going to have to go to a good restaurant (and probably pay a good
bit for it). same with finding mod_perlers: you're either going to have
to put in the time to grasp the concepts or you're going to have to pay a
mod_perl/cordon-blue-trained-chef-of-web-development to write the stuff
for you. either way, you tend to get a good product that won't give you
literal or figurative heartburn, IMHO.
ky
