Change can be scary, especially for those who have grown accustomed to the status quo over a period of several years. And in the programming world, sweeping change is brewing. Perl 6 is a fairly ambitious redesign of both the Perl language and the Perl interpreter, so Perl 5...

Perl is somewhat unique among programming languages, largely because its inventor, Larry Wall, wanted his creation to resemble a natural language. For the most part, he has succeeded; Perl has evolved quite like a natural language since its inception in 1987, adapting to changing circumstances and a growing developer...

With all the attention focused on Java and C#, companies may be missing out on a programming language that might be better suited to their needs. That language is called Python. In technical terms, Python is a high-level, open source programming language that promises rapid development and a low...

Is mainstream acceptance for Open Source a “nuclear winter” for the software industry? I certainly hope so. Some argue that Open Source and Free Software are best left as a niche market, and that widespread acceptance of software without license fees will harm the economy. Certainly, widespread adoption of...

I’m pacing myself… 🙂 This list is obviously pre-Enterprise. (How many folks in the audience watch “Enterprise” faithfully?) 1. The Enterprise runs into a mysterious energy field of a type it has encountered several times before. 2. The Enterprise goes to visit a remote outpost of scientists, who are...

There’s nothing like the feeling of returning home after a trip, particularly when you’ve been driving all over the place and having to stay in bunch of different places. Got back from Missouri last night. Drove 70 through Kansas, which has to be one of the most boring stretches...