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Perl for Beginners
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Since its creation in 1987 Perl has become one of the most widely used programming languages. One measure of this is the frequency with which various languages are mentioned in job adverts. The site www.indeed.com monitors trends: in 2010 it shows that the only languages receiving more mentions on job sites are C and its offshoots C++ and C#, Java, and JavaScript.
Perl is a general-purpose programming language, but it has outstanding strengths in processing text files: often one can easily achieve in a line or two of Perl code some text-processing task that might take half a page of C or Java. In consequence, Perl is heavily used for computer-centre system admin, and for Web development – Web pages are HTML text files.
Another factor in the popularity of Perl is simply that many programmers find it fun to work with. Compared with Perl, other leading languages can feel worthy but tedious.
Perl is a language in which it is easy to get started, but – because it offers handy ways to do very many different things – it takes a long time before anyone finishes learning Perl (if they do ever finish). One standard reference, Steven Holzner’s Perl Black Book (second edn, Paraglyph Press, 2001) is about 1300 dense pages long. So, for the beginner, it is important to focus on the core of the language, and avoid being distracted by all the other features which are there, but are not essential in the early stages.
This book helps the reader to do that. It covers everything he or she needs to know in order to write successful Perl programs and grow in confidence with the language, while shielding him or her from confusing inessentials.1 Later chapters contain pointers towards various topics which have deliberately been omitted here. When the core of the language has been thoroughly mastered, that will be soon enough to begin broadening one’s knowledge. Many productive Perl programmers have gaps in their awareness of the full range of language features.
The book is intended for beginners: readers who are new to Perl, and probably new to computer programming. The book takes care to spell out concepts that would be very familiar to anyone who
already has experience of programming in some other language. However, there will be readers who use this book to begin learning Perl, but who have worked with another language in the past. For the benefit of that group, I include occasional brief passages drawing attention to features of Perl that could be confusing to someone with a background in another language. Programming neophytes can skim over those passages
Geoffrey Sampson - Personal Name
1st Edtion
978-87-7681-623-0
NONE
Perl for Beginners
Management
English
2010
1-120
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