Mastering Perl, 2nd Edition

Appendix B. brian’s Guide to Solving Any Perl Problem

After several years of teaching Perl and helping other people solve their Perl problems, I wrote this guide, which shows how I think through a problem. It’s appeared on a couple of websites, and there are even several translations.

Some of the stuff I did unconsciously, and those are the hardest concepts to pass on to a new programmer. Now that this guide is available, other people can develop their own problem-solving skills. It might not solve all of your Perl problems, but it’s a good place to start.

My Philosophy of Problem-Solving

I believe in three things when it comes to programming, and even everything else I do. Starting with the right attitude can help you avoid various subconscious blocks that prevent you from seeing problems.

It is not personal

Forget about code ownership. You may think of yourself an artist, but even the Old Masters produced a lot of crap. Everybody’s code is crap, which means my code is crap and your code is crap. Learn to love that. When you have a problem, your first thought should be “Something is wrong with my crappy code.” That means you do not get to blame perl. It is not personal.

Forget about how you do things. If your way worked, you would not be reading this. That is not a bad thing; it’s just time to evolve. We’ve all been there.

Personal responsibility

If you have a problem with your program it is just that—your problem. You should do as much to solve it by yourself as you ...