Python to Perl Conversions

[Jeff Blaine]

>Some have mentioned that I've left things out that are in
>more recent releases.  I'm sorry, but I only have Mark Lutz's
>book to go on.  There are no manpages for Python.   Like most
>people, I'll wait until the next edition of the book is release
>rather than digging around elsewhere if the manpage are missing.

Coming from a strong UNIX and Perl background (probably not as strong
as you...), I *never* once used a Perl man page throughout
writing tens of thousands of lines of code.  For that matter, I
never used the Tcl/Tk ones either.  I've never considered man pages
to be the Single Right Way First Line of Documentation Offering When
Documenting a Language.

So, maybe you use man pages all the time with Perl.  It is not
at all safe to assume that it's the primary means through which
people using Perl seek reference though (unless you've done some
sort of study I'm unaware of).

If you put me on any UNIX machine without man pages containing
descriptions and command-line usage of the tools there, I would
be royally pissed.

I don't know, your little jab there in an otherwise great reference
document posting seemed completely petty to me.  It makes me think
you stuck it in there as a little "See, I'm dissing them like I am
supposed to!" due to the fact that you posted the message to both
c.l.perl and c.l.python.

Whatever...  It just bugged me and really seems like that kind of
thing is the CAUSE of the Perl/Python geeky religious pettiness...in
a document showing how to move between both religious worlds no less!

OK, I am truly rambling now.