=head1 NAME
-perlfaq1 - General Questions About Perl ($Revision: 1.20 $, $Date: 1999/01/08 04:22:09 $)
+perlfaq1 - General Questions About Perl ($Revision: 1.23 $, $Date: 1999/05/23 16:08:30 $)
=head1 DESCRIPTION
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
-nntp://news.perl.com/perl.porters-gw/ and the Deja News archive at
-http://www.dejanews.com/ using the perl.porters-gw newsgroup, or you can
+nntp://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 perl5-porters-request@perl.org
a subscription request.
no longer maintained; its last patch (4.036) was in 1992, long ago and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_02 (although 5.004_04 is still supported).
-The most cutting-edge development release is 5.005_54. Further references
+production release is 5.6 (although 5.005_03 is still supported).
+The most cutting-edge development release is 5.7. 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 for 5.005_02 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.
+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.
=head2 What are perl4 and perl5?
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 L<perltrap/"Perl4
-to Perl5 Traps">.
+compatibility with previous releases is very high.
+See L<perltrap/"Perl4 to Perl5 Traps">.
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
=head2 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 uowld 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
-perl6-porters-request@perl.org 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.
+At The Second O'Reilly Open Source Software Convention, Larry Wall
+announced Perl6 development would begin in earnest. Perl6 was an oft
+used term for Chip Salzenberg's project to rewrite Perl in C++ named
+Topaz. However, Topaz should not be confused with the nisus to rewrite
+Perl while keeping the lessons learned from other software, as well as
+Perl5, in mind.
+
+If you have a desire to help in the crusade to make Perl a better place
+then peruse the Perl6 developers page at http://www.perl.org/perl6/ and
+get involved.
+
+The first alpha release is expected by Summer 2001.
+
+"We're really serious about reinventing everything that needs reinventing."
+--Larry Wall
=head2 How stable is Perl?
=head2 Is Perl difficult to learn?
-No, Perl is easy to start learning -- and easy to keep learning. It looks
+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 an C program, an awk script, a shell
-script, or even BASIC program, you're already part way there.
+with, so if you've ever written a C program, an awk script, a shell
+script, or even a BASIC program, you're already partway 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
=head2 When shouldn't I program in Perl?
-When your manager forbids it -- but do consider replacing them :-).
+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
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. :-)
+will sleep easier, too--Wall Street programs not withstanding. :-)
=head2 What's the difference between "perl" and "Perl"?
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, aprocryphal
+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.
=head2 Is it a Perl program or a Perl script?
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
+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 F<.cshrc> or F<.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
+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 I<program> has been compiled to physical machine code
-once, and can then be run multiple times, whereas a I<script> must be
+once and can then be run multiple times, whereas a I<script> must be
translated by a program each time it's used.
Perl programs are (usually) neither strictly compiled nor strictly
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
+like "non serious" or "not real programming". Consequently, some Perl
programmers prefer to avoid them altogether.
=head2 What is a JAPH?
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=
-=head2 How can I convince my sysadmin/supervisor/employees to use version (5/5.005/Perl instead of some other language)?
+=head2 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
+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.
+using Perl 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
+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
+software and hardware companies throughout the world. In fact,
+many Unix vendors now ship Perl by default. Support is usually
just a news-posting away, if you can't find the answer in the
I<comprehensive> documentation, including this FAQ.
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
+(Well, OK, maybe it's 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 bughunt for buffer overflow
+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.
=head1 AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHT
-Copyright (c) 1997-1999 Tom Christiansen and Nathan Torkington.
+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 work is
+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 L<perlfaq>.
-Irrespective of its distribution, all code examples here are public
+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.
-
projects / p5sagit/p5-mst-13.2.git / blobdiff