the example code in the article...
...is a perfect example of how Perl is *unjustly* vilified.
All the line noise in that example is due to regular expressions -- a distinct sub-language that is nevertheless supported (though usually very badly and/or reluctantly) by all other languages.
Since perl supports regexes as first class citizens, it gets a bad rap because of how regexes look.
As for the $, @, {}, etc -- I've never understood this angst about perl's syntax. You expect a mathematician to use special symbols to mean special things to them. Heck, an electrician has to learn almost as much special stuff to get a license to wire your home (India excepted, heh!). Yet people think perl's using the character set a little more than other languages (which mostly stick to a-z for syntax) is a problem.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
