Doubles Quote by Larry Wall
“Perhaps you should compile your Perl with long doubles one of these megaseconds.”
About This Quote
A tongue‑in‑cheek suggestion that Perl’s numeric precision could be extended dramatically, highlighting the language’s flexibility and the absurdity of over‑engineering.
In simple terms: Humorous critique of unnecessary precision.
Key Takeaway
Beware of over‑optimizing trivial aspects.
Themes
programming humor
language design
precision vs practicality
software engineering culture
Mood
playful
ironic
Type
joke
technical observation
When to use this quote
- optimizing scientific code
- legacy system maintenance
- performance tuning
Key Concepts
Perl
floating‑point representation
compiler options
Practical Applications
- debugging numeric errors
- educational examples of over‑engineering
Questions to Reflect On
- When does added precision become counterproductive?
- How does language design influence developer choices?
![“[Boxed] Multiple bouncing balls in a box are a metaphor for community. Notice how the escaping balls explode. This is what happens to people who move from Perl to Ruby.” quote by Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/df5/larry-wall-1576_balls_boxed-multiple-bouncing-balls-in-a-box-a_640682.jpg)
