More like C++ or Java

Now they're writing programs in Perl, not just shell or awk scripts.
So they want their familiar features.
"I want strong typing!" No you don't. Remember the hell that is atoi()?
"I want named function arguments!" No you don't. Remember the hell that is varargs?
All that is Perl is Perl for a reason.

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YAPC 2000: Stages of a Perl Programmer - 13