[lug] Perl question: how to print embedded metacharacters

[Tom Christiansen]

>On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 15:32, Tom Christiansen <tchrist at perl.com> wrote:
>> Don't accept bad wrapping: Fix it!

> Tom, these days lot of folks (including myself) use web-based
> "clients" on which we basically don't have much control. Have you ever
> heard of gmail? It's so much convenient, and it understands past
> messages by itself that basically you don't care at all how's quoted:
> it just works. Now, I'm sad to know that's incompatible with your
> client, but it's so much convient that I'll stick with it no matter
> how loud you and Stallman will complain (and I'm a FSF member, so I do
> care and I am sad about it!)

Mail that's too difficult to read simply doesn't get read.  There aren't
many pieces of mail that I judge of sufficient interest to bother dumping
an hour or two of my time into thoughtful recoding.

It's just like when I get a Microsoft document as email.  I simply flush it.  
If someone sends me crud, I delete it.  It's like someone calling me up and
speaking in Chinese.  Sure, I could learn Chinese.  Or they could talk to me
in English.  There aren't many scenarios where it's worth learning Chinese.

I used to return garbled mail.  Now I don't even bother.  If it's important,
they'll call or learn to use English.  Or Spanish.  Or French.  

But not Russian.  I can only go so far.

--tom