Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!know!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpcc05!hpcc01!weisberg
From: weisberg@hpcc01.HP.COM (Len Weisberg)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: Re: can we ever compile perl?
Message-ID: <1180008@hpcc01.HP.COM>
Date: 12 Dec 90 20:43:58 GMT
References: <110306@convex.convex.com>
Organization: HP Corp Computing & Services
Lines: 20

Peter Phillips writes:
> For some perl scripts, eval is indispensible.  The debugger wouldn't
> work without it.  For other scripts, eval can be replaced by less
> powerful operations.  Eval is often used to get at the regular
> expression compiler built into perl. 
>    ... <some supporting details omitted> ...
> There are other common uses for eval, like simulating references.
> I think with the right modifications, most uses of eval could be
> eliminated.  Perhaps the greatest and wisest perl hackers should
> get together, examine their scripts which use eval, and decide
> what reasonable extensions to perl would eliminate 90% of the
> use for eval.

Hear, hear!!   My opinion exactly!!
Sorry for taking up bandwidth with this, but Peter has said it so well,
I just wanted to underline it.
I think the development outlined here would be a tremendous boost to
the usability and the use of perl.

- Len Weisberg - HP Corp Computing & Services - weisberg@corp.HP.COM