Hi there,

Finally I am back editing the weekly newsletter. As you all know I share the responsibilities with the chief editor, Gabor Szabo. I usually do the even numbered weeks and he does the odd ones. Having said, I was off the job for sometime because of health issues, I decided to take odd numbered week i.e. 633 to make a comeback. From next week onwards, I will be back to the routine. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gabor for all the help and support.

Today is 9/11, people all around the world remember this day with different emotions. I still remember the event, I was sitting with my team in a small office in central London. Around lunch time local time, we got the news. The team was made up with Iraqi, Indian, Pakistani and English. So you can imagine the mixed reactions? For me, it is a very special day as I got married on this day 20 years ago. I choose this day so that I would never miss the most important day of my life.

Coming back to Perl, I have been out of touch with it for the longest period. Thanks to The [Perl|Weekly] Challenge, I was holding the ground and stay in touch with the magical power of Perl. There was a time, I used to be active and available to help anyone with Perl related queries. With passing time, I find it hard to cope with the work load. I recently saw this post by Olaf Alders. It feels nice to see so much help available.

Post release of Perl v5.38, I saw jump in activities among the Perl fans but there is still some not so positive vibes going around which makes me very sad. There is clearly two groups, one is very vocal in sharing personal opinions and the other is not so vocal but allow free speech. I happen to see both sides on daily basis and wish we had one platform where we can share our experience with Perl. This would have help sending one strong voice to the young generations and welcome to the community.

Recently concluded, The Perl and Raku Conference in Toronto was a great event where I met so many young and enthusiastic members of the community. We should provide a common platform to these young bloods to come forward and share their experiences. They have so much knowledge, it is unreal. One evening, I spent with a twins brother having abundance of knowledge. Just talking to them gave me so much positive energy. On a funny note, it makes me realise I am getting old very quickly. Deep down, I would like to give back to the community that has been so welcoming. Having said, I have to be selective where I put my energy in. I keep getting invitations to be part of so many exciting things but I hardly find time for it. One thing, I would definitely do before I die is finish the book I started long time ago. It is primarily Perl focussed and I have a publisher, Dave Cross, ready to help.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and please do share your stories with us.

Mohammad Sajid Anwar