This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Python Buzz by Carlos de la Guardia. Original Post: Executable line noise? Damn right (at least in this case) Feed Title: I blog therefore I am Feed URL: http://blog.delaguardia.com.mx/feed.atom Feed Description: A space to put my thoughts into writing. Latest Python Buzz Posts Latest Python Buzz Posts by Carlos de la Guardia Latest Posts From I blog therefore I am

Like many web development veterans, I once used Perl and even liked it (I was a subscriber to the Perl Journal and all).

Now I really prefer Python, though I still do some Perl work from time to time. I'm not really what you would call a Perl hater, but still, when you see code like this, it's hard to argue with this quote from Bruce Eckel's site:

"Python is executable pseudocode. Perl is executable line noise".

Have a look at this code (from Marc Abramowitz via Chris Petrilli):

    ''=~(        '(?{'        .('`'        |'%')        .('['        ^'-')

    .('`'        |'!')        .('`'        |',')        .'"'.        '\$'

    .'=='        .('['        ^'+')        .('`'        |'/')        .('['

    ^'+')        .'||'        .(';'        &'=')        .(';'        &'=')

    .';-'        .'-'.        '\$'        .'=;'        .('['        ^'(')

    .('['        ^'.')        .('`'        |'"')        .('!'        ^'+')

   .'_\{'      .'(\$'      .';=('.      '\$=|'      ."|".(      '`'^'.'

  ).(('`')|    '/').').'    .'\"'.+(    '{'^'[').    ('`'|'"')    .('`'|'/'

 ).('['^'/')  .('['^'/').  ('`'|',').(  '`'|('%')).  '\".\"'.(  '['^('(')).

 '\"'.('['^  '#').'!!--'  .'\$=.\"'  .('{'^'[').  ('`'|'/').(  '`'|"&").(

 '{'^"[").(  '`'|""").(  '`'|"\%").(  '`'|"\%").(  '['^(')')).  '\").\"'.

 ('{'^'[').(  '`'|"/").(  '`'|".").(  '{'^"[").(  '['^"/").(  '`'|"(").(

 '`'|"\%").(  '{'^"[").(  '['^",").(  '`'|"!").(  '`'|",").(  '`'|(',')).

 '\"\}'.+(  '['^"+").(  '['^")").(  '`'|")").(  '`'|".").(  '['^('/')).

 '+_,\",'.(  '{'^('[')).  ('\$;!').(  '!'^"+").(  '{'^"/").(  '`'|"!").(

 '`'|"+").(  '`'|"\%").(  '{'^"[").(  '`'|"/").(  '`'|".").(  '`'|"\%").(

 '{'^"[").(  '`'|"$").(  '`'|"/").(  '['^",").(  '`'|('.')).  ','.(('{')^

 '[').("["^  '+').("`"|  '!').("["^  '(').("["^  '(').("{"^  '[').("`"|

 ')').("["^  '/').("{"^  '[').("`"|  '!').("["^  ')').("`"|  '/').("["^

 '.').("`"|  '.').("`"|  '$').",".(  '!'^('+')).  '\",_,\"'  .'!'.("!"^

 '+').("!"^  '+').'\"'.  ('['^',').(  '`'|"(").(  '`'|")").(  '`'|",").(

 '`'|('%')).  '++\$="})'  );$:=('.')^  '~';$~='@'|  '(';$^=')'^  '[';$/='`';

The amazing thing? It works (try it out if you don't believe me).

Of course I know you would never write real code like this, even in Perl, but still, the language seems to be perfect for this kind of stuff. I also know that you can write unreadable code in any language, but it seems to me that you can write it far better in Perl.

(With apologies to Codehead.)