But you have to allow a little for the desire to evangelize when you think you have good news.

There's a saying in the software design industry: "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two."

Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are three, of course: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

It's easier to make up sayings people like to hear than sayings they like to heed.

When I announced the development of Perl 6, I said it was going to be a community design. I designed Perl, myself. It's limited by my own brain power. So I wanted Perl 6 to be a community design.

When they first built the University of California at Irvine they just put the buildings in. They did not put any sidewalks, they just planted grass. The next year, they came back and put the sidewalks where the trails were in the grass. Perl is just that kind of language. It is not designed from first principles. Perl is those sidewalks in the grass.

I try not to confuse roles and traits in my own life. Being the Perl god is a role. Being a stubborn cuss is a trait.