[WEB4LIB] Re: Top 5 PERL Wiki Engines?

[Thomas Dowling]

William Denton wrote:

>On 24 August 2004, K.G. Schneider wrote:
>
>: Er, no, a quick check (in Google, I searched with define: perl) reveals
>: it is "Perl,"  a proper noun derived from an acronym (Practical
>: Extraction and Research Language).
>
>Perl the language is just "Perl."  Any acronyms were made up after the
>name.  See "What is the difference between Perl and perl?" in the Perl
>FAQ at
>
>	http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlfaq1.html
>
>
>  
>

One more note on the derivation and spelling of the name, from the 
"Other Oddments" chapter of the first edition of O'Reilly's (arguably 
authoritative) Camel Book, by Larry Wall and Randal Schwartz:

  It wasn't originally called Perl.  Larry bandied about a number of
  names with his officemates and cohorts...  One of the earliest
  names was "Gloria," after his sweetheart (and wife).  He soon
  decided that it would cause too much domestic confusion.  The name
  then became "Pearl" which mutated into our present day "Perl,"
  partly because Larry saw a reference to a graphic language called
  "pearl," but mostly because he's too lazy to type 5 letters all
  the time.  And, of course, so that Perl could be used as a 4
  letter word.  (You'll note, however, the vestiges of the former
  spelling in the acronym's gloss: "Practical Extraction *And*
  Report Language.)


Absolutists seeking closure on the topic will be aggravated to know that the
Camel Book's official title is "Programming perl".

-- 
Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu