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| Chapter 37 |

# 37. Perl, a Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister

Contents:
What We Do and Don't Tell You About Perl
Why Learn Perl? #1
Three Great Virtues of a Programmer
Why Learn Perl? #2
And Now, Perl 5

## 37.1 What We Do and Don't Tell You About Perl

Unlike most of the chapters in this book, this one really doesn't say very much about what Perl does or how to use it. perl (the program) is quite easy to use; Perl (the language, for which perl is an interpreter) is also easy to learn, especially if you know some of the other tools that it is designed to replace. However, it is also quite large and complex - sufficiently so that even the quick reference treatment we gave to sed (34.24) would be difficult to fit in here.

perl5 | Instead, we've contented ourselves with two "arguments" for using Perl, both of which will give you a sense of what the language contains and why its users are so passionate about it. The CD-ROM contains the latest Perl version, Perl 5, and you can read about the new benefits of that version (37.5).

Throughout the book, you'll find sprinkled a few Perl scripts.

If you are interested in learning more about Perl, try the Nutshell Handbooks Learning Perl and Programming Perl...or just start in, using the extensive manual page stored with perl itself on the Power Tools disc.

- TOR, JP

36.9 Sorting a List of People by Last Name |  | 37.2 Why Learn Perl? #1