use Perl

Over in my LiveJournal account, I wrote a bit about using first class functions to solve software problems. Basically, it was me whining about how powerful the technique is and how some folks don't seem to understand it. I worry, though, that I'll eventually be thought of in the same light as the Database Debunk guys. Many folks seem to think they're quacks.

They don't handle the situation well by having a To Laugh or Cry? page. The problem they have is that they're overly terse and overly acerbic. Because they're terse (unless you're willing to pay for their papers), someone wanting to understand they're positions is going to flounder. Because they're so acerbic, they come across as mean. If you read they're "laugh or cry" page links, it's not always clear what the objection is. The problem is, they're not quacks; they're cranks. I hope I don't fall into the latter role.

I might add that I've exchanged email with the dbdebunk folks. I've found them as terse in private exchanges as in public ones (not quite as acerbic, but terseness often comes across as that).