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    NAME

         perlfaq1 - General Questions About Perl ($Revision: 1.23 $,
         $Date: 1999/05/23 16:08:30 $)
    
    
    

    DESCRIPTION

         This section of the FAQ answers very general, high-level
         questions about Perl.
    
         What is Perl?
    
         Perl is a high-level programming language with an eclectic
         heritage written by Larry Wall and a cast of thousands.  It
         derives from the ubiquitous C programming language and to a
         lesser extent from sed, awk, the Unix shell, and at least a
         dozen other tools and languages.  Perl's process, file, and
         text manipulation facilities make it particularly well-
         suited for tasks involving quick prototyping, system
         utilities, software tools, system management tasks, database
         access, graphical programming, networking, and world wide
         web programming.  These strengths make it especially popular
         with system administrators and CGI script authors, but
         mathematicians, geneticists, journalists, and even managers
         also use Perl.  Maybe you should, too.
    
         Who supports Perl?  Who develops it?  Why is it free?
    
         The original culture of the pre-populist Internet and the
         deeply-held beliefs of Perl's author, Larry Wall, gave rise
         to the free and open distribution policy of perl.  Perl is
         supported by its users.  The core, the standard Perl
         library, the optional modules, and the documentation you're
         reading now were all written by volunteers.  See the
         personal note at the end of the README file in the perl
         source distribution for more details.  See the perlhist
         manpage (new as of 5.005) for Perl's milestone releases.
    
         In particular, the core development team (known as the Perl
         Porters) are a rag-tag band of highly altruistic individuals
         committed to producing better software for free than you
         could hope to purchase for money.  You may snoop on pending
         developments via news://news.perl.com/perl.porters-gw/ and
         the Deja archive at http://www.deja.com/ using the
         perl.porters-gw newsgroup, or you can subscribe to the
         mailing list by sending [email protected] a
         subscription request.
    
         While the GNU project includes Perl in its distributions,
         there's no such thing as "GNU Perl".  Perl is not produced
         nor maintained by the Free Software Foundation.  Perl's
         licensing terms are also more open than GNU software's tend
         to be.
    
         You can get commercial support of Perl if you wish, although
         for most users the informal support will more than suffice.
         See the answer to "Where can I buy a commercial version of
         perl?" for more information.
    
         Which version of Perl should I use?
    
         You should definitely use version 5.  Version 4 is old,
         limited, and no longer maintained; its last patch (4.036)
         was in 1992, long ago and far away.  Sure, it's stable, but
         so is anything that's dead; in fact, perl4 had been called a
         dead, flea-bitten camel carcass.  The most recent production
         release is 5.005_03 (although 5.004_05 is still supported).
         The most cutting-edge development release is 5.005_57.
         Further references to the Perl language in this document
         refer to the production release unless otherwise specified.
         There may be one or more official bug fixes by the time you
         read this, and also perhaps some experimental versions on
         the way to the next release.  All releases prior to 5.004
         were subject to buffer overruns, a grave security issue.
    
         What are perl4 and perl5?
    
         Perl4 and perl5 are informal names for different versions of
         the Perl programming language.  It's easier to say "perl5"
         than it is to say "the 5(.004) release of Perl", but some
         people have interpreted this to mean there's a language
         called "perl5", which isn't the case.  Perl5 is merely the
         popular name for the fifth major release (October 1994),
         while perl4 was the fourth major release (March 1991).
         There was also a perl1 (in January 1988), a perl2 (June
         1988), and a perl3 (October 1989).
    
         The 5.0 release is, essentially, a ground-up rewrite of the
         original perl source code from releases 1 through 4.  It has
         been modularized, object-oriented, tweaked, trimmed, and
         optimized until it almost doesn't look like the old code.
         However, the interface is mostly the same, and compatibility
         with previous releases is very high. See the Perl4 to Perl5
         Traps entry in the perltrap manpage.
    
         To avoid the "what language is perl5?" confusion, some
         people prefer to simply use "perl" to refer to the latest
         version of perl and avoid using "perl5" altogether.  It's
         not really that big a deal, though.
    
         See the perlhist manpage for a history of Perl revisions.
    
         What is perl6?
    
         Perl6 is a semi-jocular reference to the Topaz project.
         Headed by Chip Salzenberg, Topaz is yet-another ground-up
         rewrite of the current release of Perl, one whose major goal
         is to create a more maintainable core than found in release
         5.  Written in nominally portable C++, Topaz hopes to
         maintain 100% source-compatibility with previous releases of
         Perl but to run significantly faster and smaller.  The Topaz
         team hopes to provide an XS compatibility interface to allow
         most XS modules to work unchanged, albeit perhaps without
         the efficiency that the new interface would allow.  New
         features in Topaz are as yet undetermined, and will be
         addressed once compatibility and performance goals are met.
    
         If you are a hard-working C++ wizard with a firm command of
         Perl's internals, and you would like to work on the project,
         send a request to [email protected] to
         subscribe to the Topaz mailing list.
    
         There is no ETA for Topaz.  It is expected to be several
         years before it achieves enough robustness, compatibility,
         portability, and performance to replace perl5 for ordinary
         use by mere mortals.
    
         How stable is Perl?
    
         Production releases, which incorporate bug fixes and new
         functionality, are widely tested before release.  Since the
         5.000 release, we have averaged only about one production
         release per year.
    
         Larry and the Perl development team occasionally make
         changes to the internal core of the language, but all
         possible efforts are made toward backward compatibility.
         While not quite all perl4 scripts run flawlessly under
         perl5, an update to perl should nearly never invalidate a
         program written for an earlier version of perl (barring
         accidental bug fixes and the rare new keyword).
    
         Is Perl difficult to learn?
    
         No, Perl is easy to start learning -- and easy to keep
         learning.  It looks like most programming languages you're
         likely to have experience with, so if you've ever written a
         C program, an awk script, a shell script, or even a BASIC
         program, you're already part way there.
    
         Most tasks only require a small subset of the Perl language.
         One of the guiding mottos for Perl development is "there's
         more than one way to do it" (TMTOWTDI, sometimes pronounced
         "tim toady").  Perl's learning curve is therefore shallow
         (easy to learn) and long (there's a whole lot you can do if
         you really want).
    
    
         Finally, because Perl is frequently (but not always, and
         certainly not by definition) an interpreted language, you
         can write your programs and test them without an
         intermediate compilation step, allowing you to experiment
         and test/debug quickly and easily.  This ease of
         experimentation flattens the learning curve even more.
    
         Things that make Perl easier to learn: Unix experience,
         almost any kind of programming experience, an understanding
         of regular expressions, and the ability to understand other
         people's code.  If there's something you need to do, then
         it's probably already been done, and a working example is
         usually available for free.  Don't forget the new perl
         modules, either.  They're discussed in Part 3 of this FAQ,
         along with CPAN, which is discussed in Part 2.
    
         How does Perl compare with other languages like Java,
         Python, REXX, Scheme, or Tcl?
    
         Favorably in some areas, unfavorably in others.  Precisely
         which areas are good and bad is often a personal choice, so
         asking this question on Usenet runs a strong risk of
         starting an unproductive Holy War.
    
         Probably the best thing to do is try to write equivalent
         code to do a set of tasks.  These languages have their own
         newsgroups in which you can learn about (but hopefully not
         argue about) them.
    
         Some comparison documents can be found at
         http://language.perl.com/versus/ if you really can't stop
         yourself.
    
         Can I do [task] in Perl?
    
         Perl is flexible and extensible enough for you to use on
         virtually any task, from one-line file-processing tasks to
         large, elaborate systems.  For many people, Perl serves as a
         great replacement for shell scripting.  For others, it
         serves as a convenient, high-level replacement for most of
         what they'd program in low-level languages like C or C++.
         It's ultimately up to you (and possibly your management)
         which tasks you'll use Perl for and which you won't.
    
         If you have a library that provides an API, you can make any
         component of it available as just another Perl function or
         variable using a Perl extension written in C or C++ and
         dynamically linked into your main perl interpreter.  You can
         also go the other direction, and write your main program in
         C or C++, and then link in some Perl code on the fly, to
         create a powerful application.  See the perlembed manpage.
    
         That said, there will always be small, focused, special-
         purpose languages dedicated to a specific problem domain
         that are simply more convenient for certain kinds of
         problems.  Perl tries to be all things to all people, but
         nothing special to anyone.  Examples of specialized
         languages that come to mind include prolog and matlab.
    
         When shouldn't I program in Perl?
    
         When your manager forbids it -- but do consider replacing
         them :-).
    
         Actually, one good reason is when you already have an
         existing application written in another language that's all
         done (and done well), or you have an application language
         specifically designed for a certain task (e.g. prolog,
         make).
    
         For various reasons, Perl is probably not well-suited for
         real-time embedded systems, low-level operating systems
         development work like device drivers or context-switching
         code, complex multi-threaded shared-memory applications, or
         extremely large applications.  You'll notice that perl is
         not itself written in Perl.
    
         The new, native-code compiler for Perl may eventually reduce
         the limitations given in the previous statement to some
         degree, but understand that Perl remains fundamentally a
         dynamically typed language, not a statically typed one.  You
         certainly won't be chastised if you don't trust nuclear-
         plant or brain-surgery monitoring code to it.  And Larry
         will sleep easier, too -- Wall Street programs not
         withstanding. :-)
    
         What's the difference between "perl" and "Perl"?
    
         One bit.  Oh, you weren't talking ASCII? :-) Larry now uses
         "Perl" to signify the language proper and "perl" the
         implementation of it, i.e. the current interpreter.  Hence
         Tom's quip that "Nothing but perl can parse Perl."  You may
         or may not choose to follow this usage.  For example,
         parallelism means "awk and perl" and "Python and Perl" look
         OK, while "awk and Perl" and "Python and perl" do not.  But
         never write "PERL", because perl isn't really an acronym,
         apocryphal folklore and post-facto expansions
         notwithstanding.
    
         Is it a Perl program or a Perl script?
    
         Larry doesn't really care.  He says (half in jest) that "a
         script is what you give the actors.  A program is what you
         give the audience."
         Originally, a script was a canned sequence of normally
         interactive commands, that is, a chat script.  Something
         like a UUCP or PPP chat script or an expect script fits the
         bill nicely, as do configuration scripts run by a program at
         its start up, such .cshrc or .ircrc, for example.  Chat
         scripts were just drivers for existing programs, not stand-
         alone programs in their own right.
    
         A computer scientist will correctly explain that all
         programs are interpreted, and that the only question is at
         what level.  But if you ask this question of someone who
         isn't a computer scientist, they might tell you that a
         program has been compiled to physical machine code once, and
         can then be run multiple times, whereas a script must be
         translated by a program each time it's used.
    
         Perl programs are (usually) neither strictly compiled nor
         strictly interpreted.  They can be compiled to a byte-code
         form (something of a Perl virtual machine) or to completely
         different languages, like C or assembly language.  You can't
         tell just by looking at it whether the source is destined
         for a pure interpreter, a parse-tree interpreter, a byte-
         code interpreter, or a native-code compiler, so it's hard to
         give a definitive answer here.
    
         Now that "script" and "scripting" are terms that have been
         seized by unscrupulous or unknowing marketeers for their own
         nefarious purposes, they have begun to take on strange and
         often pejorative meanings, like "non serious" or "not real
         programming".  Consequently, some Perl programmers prefer to
         avoid them altogether.
    
         What is a JAPH?
    
         These are the "just another perl hacker" signatures that
         some people sign their postings with.  Randal Schwartz made
         these famous.  About 100 of the earlier ones are available
         from http://www.perl.com/CPAN/misc/japh .
    
         Where can I get a list of Larry Wall witticisms?
    
         Over a hundred quips by Larry, from postings of his or
         source code, can be found at
         http://www.perl.com/CPAN/misc/lwall-quotes.txt.gz .
    
         Newer examples can be found by perusing Larry's postings:
    
             http://x1.dejanews.com/dnquery.xp?QRY=*&DBS=2&ST=PS&defaultOp=AND&LNG=ALL&format=terse&showsort=date&maxhits=100&subjects=&groups=&authors=larry@*wall.org&fromdate=&todate=
    
    
    
         How can I convince my sysadmin/supervisor/employees to use
         version (5/5.005/Perl instead of some other language)?
    
         If your manager or employees are wary of unsupported
         software, or software which doesn't officially ship with
         your operating system, you might try to appeal to their
         self-interest.  If programmers can be more productive using
         and utilizing Perl constructs, functionality, simplicity,
         and power, then the typical manager/supervisor/employee may
         be persuaded.  Regarding using Perl in general, it's also
         sometimes helpful to point out that delivery times may be
         reduced using Perl, as compared to other languages.
    
         If you have a project which has a bottleneck, especially in
         terms of translation or testing, Perl almost certainly will
         provide a viable, and quick solution.  In conjunction with
         any persuasion effort, you should not fail to point out that
         Perl is used, quite extensively, and with extremely reliable
         and valuable results, at many large computer software and/or
         hardware companies throughout the world.  In fact, many Unix
         vendors now ship Perl by default, and support is usually
         just a news-posting away, if you can't find the answer in
         the comprehensive documentation, including this FAQ.
    
         See http://www.perl.org/advocacy/ for more information.
    
         If you face reluctance to upgrading from an older version of
         perl, then point out that version 4 is utterly unmaintained
         and unsupported by the Perl Development Team.  Another big
         sell for Perl5 is the large number of modules and extensions
         which greatly reduce development time for any given task.
         Also mention that the difference between version 4 and
         version 5 of Perl is like the difference between awk and
         C++.  (Well, OK, maybe not quite that distinct, but you get
         the idea.)  If you want support and a reasonable guarantee
         that what you're developing will continue to work in the
         future, then you have to run the supported version.  That
         probably means running the 5.005 release, although 5.004
         isn't that bad.  Several important bugs were fixed from the
         5.000 through 5.003 versions, though, so try upgrading past
         them if possible.
    
         Of particular note is the massive bug hunt for buffer
         overflow problems that went into the 5.004 release.  All
         releases prior to that, including perl4, are considered
         insecure and should be upgraded as soon as possible.
    
    
    

    AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHT

         Copyright (c) 1997, 1998, 1999 Tom Christiansen and Nathan
         Torkington.  All rights reserved.
    
    
         When included as an integrated part of the Standard
         Distribution of Perl or of its documentation (printed or
         otherwise), this works is covered under Perl's Artistic
         Licence.  For separate distributions of all or part of this
         FAQ outside of that, see the perlfaq manpage.
    
         Irrespective of its distribution, all code examples here are
         in the public domain.  You are permitted and encouraged to
         use this code and any derivatives thereof in your own
         programs for fun or for profit as you see fit.  A simple
         comment in the code giving credit to the FAQ would be
         courteous but is not required.
    
    
    
    


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