[Tutor] Regex's and "best practice" [libraries and finding third-party resources]

[Danny Yoo]

> > There is a major difference in the philosophies of Perl and Python.
> > Among other things, Perl doesn't have nearly as many standard
> > libraries as Python does because they believe that things should be in
> > seperate, user-made libraries, or just reimplimented in the individual
> > program.
>
> I really don't think I can agree with this.  The core Perl5 install
> comes with a great number of modules.  cpan.org is overflowing with
> modules of all kinds.

Hi Carl,

Very true; if we had to name one real strength in Perl, we'd have to name
the CPAN.  Good programmers know when to reuse code, and that's something
that's universal, regardless of what programming language we're using.
The Perl community has done a lot to cultivate that kind of centralized
code sharing, and it's something we can admire and seek to emulate.


> In looking at switching to Python for larger projects, one of my worries
> has been a _lack_ of modules to draw on compared to Perl.


If the Standard Library:

    http://www.python.org/doc/lib/

lacks some functionality that you're looking for, there are repositories
for third-party modules that you can explore.  PyPi is one of the evolving
repositories for Python code:

    http://www.python.org/pypi


There's also the venerable "Vaults of Parnassus":

    http://www.vex.net/parnassus/


Finally, there's another repository for "Useless" code that you might have
some fun with:

    http://www.uselesspython.com/


Please feel free to ask more questions.  Good luck!