SPUG:June Mtg, 6/11 (NOT 3rd Tuesday!)

Tim Maher tim at consultix-inc.com
Mon Jun 2 22:42:39 CDT 2003


SPUGsters,

Note the 2nd Wednesday scheduling of our 6/11 meeting (it's
usually the 3rd Tuesday).  Please take advantage of this by inviting
your friends who can't attend on Tuesdays to attend this meeting.

Also, it seems likely that our July speaker will be none other
than The Damian, entertaining us on July 2nd (the 1st Wednesday).
(That's not certain yet, but I'll keep you posted.)
I'll probably put together an Argosy cruise with him for Sunday,
June 29th, so you might want to keep that afternoon open on
your schedule.  More details to follow when available.

         June 2003 Seattle Perl Users Group Meeting
     -----------------------------------------------------
   Title:   REdeparse: A Tool to Explain Perl Regexes
   Speaker: Michael Wolf

   Time-Permitting, a second, "bonus" topic:
     Title:     Perl Certification
     Moderator: Tim Maher

      Time: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 7-9pm
  Location: SAFECO bldg, Brooklyn St. and NE 45th St.

      Cost: Admission is free and open to the general public.
      Info: http://seattleperl.org/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This month's meeting will begin with Michael giving a sneak
preview of his talk for The Perl Conference, by using REdecl 
to introduce both beginners and experts to the power of Perl's
regular expressions (regexes).  Even if you haven't yet used
regexes, come learn some easy, practical ways to make Perl
do your bidding.  If you're already a user of Perl's regexes,
come learn a few tricks that Michael's mastered over the years.

The official announcement from The Perl Conference for the
45-minute version of this talk follows.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
REdeparse is a tool that explains a Perl regular expression,
much like the cdecl tool does for C and C++ declarations. Like
the Rosetta Stone, it provides multiple views of an expression
in two languages--Perl and English.

For beginners, REdeparse is a useful training device for
learning a "structured English" that facilitates thinking
about regular expressions. For more advanced users, REdeparse
is a handy addition to a toolkit for code comprehension and
debugging.

Come watch it work its magic on Perl regular expressions,
and take a look behind the user interface into some tricks
of how to work with the internal representation of a Perl
regular expression.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

In whatever time Michael leaves unused, Tim Maher will lead
an audience discussion on the controversial topic of Perl
Certification, offering a sneak preview of yet another event
from The Perl Conference.

The official announcement from The Perl Conference for the
45-minute version of this session follows.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Perl community has thus far embraced the proposition of
"Perl Certification" with all the zeal of a Trip to the Dentist.

And that's understandable, because many certification tests
are full of defective questions, short on correct answers,
and blithely lacking in sensitivity to the programmer's actual
talents.  And nobody wants to risk a career opportunity on
the verdict of an inadequate testing instrument.

Worst of all, some test reports only provide one bit of
information!  And although a PASS/FAIL grade may be suitable
for Gym class, it's certainly not adequate for a enterprise
as complex as programming.

But these are all arguments against bad tests, not against
the notion of testing itself.

Professionals specializing in other programming languages,
from C to Visual Basic, can present certificates attesting to
their knowledge, and many hiring managers expect to see them.

Of course, we Perl programmers like to think Perl is
fundamentally different from C, and that the skills underlying
"PerlThink" are mystical qualities that can't be measured.
But are we really so unique?  Perhaps it's time to admit we
aren't, and get some credentials!

This panel will explore these ideas and their potential
effects on our language and community, with input from
a panel of professionals representing the Perl language,
software publishing, software training, IS management, and
the testing industry.

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pre- and Post- Meeting Activities
---------------------------------
The pre-meeting dinner will be at the Cedars restaurant,
at 50th St. and Brooklyn, in the University District, near
the Safeco building where the meeting will take place. The
phone number is 527-5247. If you're planning to be there,
please RSVP to the list by 2pm on the meeting day with
your expected arrival time (5:30-5:45pm is recommended).

TO BE FAIR, from now on only those who comply with the
RSVP policy (and are therefore counted in the seating
reservation) will be allowed to sit at the speaker's table.

======================================================
| Tim Maher, Ph.D.            tim at timmaher.org       |
| SPUG Founder & Leader       spug at seattleperl.org   |
| Seattle Perl Users Group    www.seattleperl.org    |
======================================================



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