X-Git-Url: http://git.shadowcat.co.uk/gitweb/gitweb.cgi?a=blobdiff_plain;f=pod%2Fperlfaq2.pod;h=6b4d3dad8b5fa6685dcffe635dcba2805e1dcc72;hb=83ce3e12e086bc5a21f37af9378b7c01fa5d73d8;hp=34d4825790e1758b1d5bbfaa74c978b3b0819d64;hpb=b68463f7111b76264d78b38de603c7c4a3c5e635;p=p5sagit%2Fp5-mst-13.2.git diff --git a/pod/perlfaq2.pod b/pod/perlfaq2.pod index 34d4825..6b4d3da 100644 --- a/pod/perlfaq2.pod +++ b/pod/perlfaq2.pod @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ =head1 NAME -perlfaq2 - Obtaining and Learning about Perl ($Revision: 1.34 $, $Date: 2005/08/10 15:56:54 $) +perlfaq2 - Obtaining and Learning about Perl ($Revision: 10144 $) =head1 DESCRIPTION @@ -32,6 +32,15 @@ might be based upon a less current source release of perl). =head2 How can I get a binary version of perl? +For Windows, ActiveState provides a pre-built Perl for free: + + http://www.activestate.com/ + +Sunfreeware.com provides binaries for many utilities, including +Perl, for Solaris on both Intel and SPARC hardware: + + http://www.sunfreeware.com/ + If you don't have a C compiler because your vendor for whatever reasons did not include one with your system, the best thing to do is grab a binary version of gcc from the net and use that to compile perl @@ -40,15 +49,12 @@ get free compilers for, not for Unix systems. Some URLs that might help you are: - http://www.cpan.org/ports/ - http://www.perl.com/pub/language/info/software.html + http://www.cpan.org/ports/ + http://www.perl.com/pub/language/info/software.html -Someone looking for a perl for Win16 might look to Laszlo Molnar's djgpp -port in http://www.cpan.org/ports/#msdos , which comes with clear -installation instructions. A simple installation guide for MS-DOS using -Ilya Zakharevich's OS/2 port is available at -http://www.cs.ruu.nl/%7Epiet/perl5dos.html -and similarly for Windows 3.1 at http://www.cs.ruu.nl/%7Epiet/perlwin3.html . +Someone looking for a perl for Win16 might look to Laszlo Molnar's +djgpp port in http://www.cpan.org/ports/#msdos , which comes with +clear installation instructions. =head2 I don't have a C compiler. How can I build my own Perl interpreter? @@ -59,6 +65,17 @@ What you need to do is get a binary version of gcc for your system first. Consult the Usenet FAQs for your operating system for information on where to get such a binary version. +You might look around the net for a pre-built binary of Perl (or a +C compiler!) that meets your needs, though: + +For Windows, Vanilla Perl ( http://vanillaperl.com/ ) and Strawberry Perl +( http://strawberryperl.com/ ) come with a +bundled C compiler. ActivePerl is a pre-compiled version of Perl +ready-to-use. + +For Sun systems, SunFreeware.com provides binaries of most popular +applications, including compilers and Perl. + =head2 I copied the perl binary from one machine to another, but scripts don't work. That's probably because you forgot libraries, or library paths differ. @@ -90,46 +107,46 @@ architecture. =head2 What modules and extensions are available for Perl? What is CPAN? What does CPAN/src/... mean? -CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, a ~1.2Gb archive -replicated on nearly 200 machines all over the world. CPAN contains -source code, non-native ports, documentation, scripts, and many -third-party modules and extensions, designed for everything from +CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, a multi-gigabyte +archive replicated on hundreds of machines all over the world. CPAN +contains source code, non-native ports, documentation, scripts, and +many third-party modules and extensions, designed for everything from commercial database interfaces to keyboard/screen control to web -walking and CGI scripts. The master web site for CPAN is +walking and CGI scripts. The master web site for CPAN is http://www.cpan.org/ and there is the CPAN Multiplexer at -http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html which will choose a mirror near you -via DNS. See http://www.perl.com/CPAN (without a slash at the -end) for how this process works. Also, http://mirror.cpan.org/ -has a nice interface to the http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY -mirror directory. +http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html which will choose a mirror near you via +DNS. See http://www.perl.com/CPAN (without a slash at the end) for +how this process works. Also, http://mirror.cpan.org/ has a nice +interface to the http://www.cpan.org/MIRRORED.BY mirror directory. -See the CPAN FAQ at http://www.cpan.org/misc/cpan-faq.html for -answers to the most frequently asked questions about CPAN -including how to become a mirror. +See the CPAN FAQ at http://www.cpan.org/misc/cpan-faq.html for answers +to the most frequently asked questions about CPAN including how to +become a mirror. CPAN/path/... is a naming convention for files available on CPAN sites. CPAN indicates the base directory of a CPAN mirror, and the -rest of the path is the path from that directory to the file. For +rest of the path is the path from that directory to the file. For instance, if you're using ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN as your CPAN site, the file CPAN/misc/japh is downloadable as ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/misc/japh . -Considering that there are close to two thousand existing modules in -the archive, one probably exists to do nearly anything you can think of. -Current categories under CPAN/modules/by-category/ include Perl core -modules; development support; operating system interfaces; networking, -devices, and interprocess communication; data type utilities; database -interfaces; user interfaces; interfaces to other languages; filenames, -file systems, and file locking; internationalization and locale; world -wide web support; server and daemon utilities; archiving and -compression; image manipulation; mail and news; control flow -utilities; filehandle and I/O; Microsoft Windows modules; and -miscellaneous modules. +Considering that, as of 2006, there are over ten thousand existing +modules in the archive, one probably exists to do nearly anything you +can think of. Current categories under CPAN/modules/by-category/ +include Perl core modules; development support; operating system +interfaces; networking, devices, and interprocess communication; data +type utilities; database interfaces; user interfaces; interfaces to +other languages; filenames, file systems, and file locking; +internationalization and locale; world wide web support; server and +daemon utilities; archiving and compression; image manipulation; mail +and news; control flow utilities; filehandle and I/O; Microsoft +Windows modules; and miscellaneous modules. See http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html or -http://search.cpan.org/ for a more complete list of modules by category. +http://search.cpan.org/ for a more complete list of modules by +category. -CPAN is not affiliated with O'Reilly Media. +CPAN is a free service and is not affiliated with O'Reilly Media. =head2 Is there an ISO or ANSI certified version of Perl? @@ -149,12 +166,11 @@ You might also try C in case your system doesn't have a proper man command, or it's been misinstalled. If that doesn't work, try looking in /usr/local/lib/perl5/pod for documentation. -If all else fails, consult http://perldoc.cpan.org/ or -http://www.perldoc.com/ both offer the complete documentation -in html format. +If all else fails, consult http://perldoc.perl.org/ which has the +complete documentation in HTML and PDF format. -Many good books have been written about Perl--see the section below -for more details. +Many good books have been written about Perl--see the section later in +L for more details. Tutorial documents are included in current or upcoming Perl releases include L for objects or L for a beginner's @@ -162,11 +178,9 @@ approach to objects, L for file opening semantics, L for managing references, L for regular expressions, L for threads, L for debugging, and L for linking C and Perl together. There may be more -by the time you read this. The following URLs might also be of -assistance: +by the time you read this. These URLs might also be useful: - http://perldoc.cpan.org/ - http://www.perldoc.com/ + http://perldoc.perl.org/ http://bookmarks.cpan.org/search.cgi?cat=Training%2FTutorials =head2 What are the Perl newsgroups on Usenet? Where do I post questions? @@ -221,10 +235,11 @@ This is faster and more productive than just posting a request. A number of books on Perl and/or CGI programming are available. A few of these are good, some are OK, but many aren't worth your money. There is a list of these books, some with extensive reviews, at -http://books.perl.org/ . +http://books.perl.org/ . If you don't see your book listed here, you +can write to perlfaq-workers@perl.org . The incontestably definitive reference book on Perl, written by -the creator of Perl, is now (Sept 2004) in its third edition: +the creator of Perl, is Programming Perl: Programming Perl (the "Camel Book"): by Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen, and Jon Orwant @@ -242,43 +257,23 @@ of real-world examples, mini-tutorials, and complete programs is: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlckbk2/ If you're already a seasoned programmer, then the Camel Book might -suffice for you to learn Perl from. If you're not, check out the +suffice for you to learn Perl. If you're not, check out the Llama book: - Learning Perl (the "Llama Book") - by Randal L. Schwartz and Tom Phoenix - ISBN 0-596-00132-0 [3rd edition July 2001] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lperl3/ + Learning Perl + by Randal L. Schwartz, Tom Phoenix, and brian d foy + ISBN 0-596-10105-8 [4th edition July 2005] + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnperl4/ And for more advanced information on writing larger programs, presented in the same style as the Llama book, continue your education with the Alpaca book: - Learning Perl Objects, References, and Modules (the "Alpaca Book") - by Randal L. Schwartz, with Tom Phoenix (foreword by Damian Conway) - ISBN 0-596-00478-8 [1st edition June 2003] + Intermediate Perl (the "Alpaca Book") + by Randal L. Schwartz and brian d foy, with Tom Phoenix (foreword by Damian Conway) + ISBN 0-596-10206-2 [1st edition March 2006] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lrnperlorm/ -If you're not an accidental programmer, but a more serious and -possibly even degreed computer scientist who doesn't need as much -hand-holding as we try to provide in the Llama, please check out the -delightful book - - Perl: The Programmer's Companion - by Nigel Chapman - ISBN 0-471-97563-X [1997, 3rd printing Spring 1998] - http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/catalog/97563-X.htm - http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/chapman/perl/perltpc.html (errata etc) - -If you are more at home in Windows the following is available -(though unfortunately rather dated). - - Learning Perl on Win32 Systems (the "Gecko Book") - by Randal L. Schwartz, Erik Olson, and Tom Christiansen, - with foreword by Larry Wall - ISBN 1-56592-324-3 [1st edition August 1997] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lperlwin/ - Addison-Wesley ( http://www.awlonline.com/ ) and Manning ( http://www.manning.com/ ) are also publishers of some fine Perl books such as I by Damian Conway and @@ -306,11 +301,6 @@ Recommended books on (or mostly on) Perl follow. ISBN 0-596-00032-4 [3rd edition May 2000] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlpr3/ - Perl in a Nutshell - by Ellen Siever, Stephan Spainhour, and Nathan Patwardhan - ISBN 1-56592-286-7 [1st edition December 1998] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlnut/ - =item Tutorials Beginning Perl @@ -321,40 +311,22 @@ Recommended books on (or mostly on) Perl follow. Elements of Programming with Perl by Andrew L. Johnson ISBN 1-884777-80-5 [1st edition October 1999] - http://www.manning.com/Johnson/ + http://www.manning.com/johnson/ Learning Perl - by Randal L. Schwartz and Tom Phoenix - ISBN 0-596-00132-0 [3rd edition July 2001] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lperl3/ + by Randal L. Schwartz, Tom Phoenix, and brian d foy + ISBN 0-596-10105-8 [4th edition July 2005] + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnperl4/ - Learning Perl Objects, References, and Modules - by Randal L. Schwartz, with Tom Phoenix (foreword by Damian Conway) - ISBN 0-596-00478-8 [1st edition June 2003] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lrnperlorm/ + Intermediate Perl (the "Alpaca Book") + by Randal L. Schwartz and brian d foy, with Tom Phoenix (foreword by Damian Conway) + ISBN 0-596-10206-2 [1st edition March 2006] + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/intermediateperl/ - Learning Perl on Win32 Systems - by Randal L. Schwartz, Erik Olson, and Tom Christiansen, - with foreword by Larry Wall - ISBN 1-56592-324-3 [1st edition August 1997] - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lperlwin/ - - Perl: The Programmer's Companion - by Nigel Chapman - ISBN 0-471-97563-X [1997, 3rd printing Spring 1998] - http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/catalog/97563-X.htm - http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/chapman/perl/perltpc.html (errata etc) - - Cross-Platform Perl - by Eric Foster-Johnson - ISBN 1-55851-483-X [2nd edition September 2000] - http://www.pconline.com/~erc/perlbook.htm - - MacPerl: Power and Ease - by Vicki Brown and Chris Nandor, - with foreword by Matthias Neeracher - ISBN 1-881957-32-2 [1st edition May 1998] - http://www.macperl.com/ptf_book/ + Mastering Perl + by brian d foy + ISBN 0-596-52724-1 [1st edition July 2007] + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527242/ =item Task-Oriented @@ -381,9 +353,19 @@ Recommended books on (or mostly on) Perl follow. =item Special Topics + Perl Best Practices + by Damian Conway + ISBN: 0-596-00173-8 [1st edition July 2005] + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlbp/ + + Higher Order Perl + by Mark-Jason Dominus + ISBN: 1558607013 [1st edition March 2005] + http://hop.perl.plover.com/ + Perl 6 Now: The Core Ideas Illustrated with Perl 5 by Scott Walters - ISBN 1-59059-395-2 [1st edition December 2004 + ISBN 1-59059-395-2 [1st edition December 2004] http://apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=355 Mastering Regular Expressions @@ -400,7 +382,7 @@ Recommended books on (or mostly on) Perl follow. Damian Conway with foreword by Randal L. Schwartz ISBN 1-884777-79-1 [1st edition August 1999] - http://www.manning.com/Conway/ + http://www.manning.com/conway/ Data Munging with Perl Dave Cross @@ -422,40 +404,41 @@ Recommended books on (or mostly on) Perl follow. ISBN 0-596-00503-2 [1st edition January 2004] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perldebugpr/ + Pro Perl Debugging + by Richard Foley with Andy Lester + ISBN 1-59059-454-1 [1st edition July 2005] + http://www.apress.com/book/view/1590594541 + =back -=head2 Perl in Magazines +=head2 Which magazines have Perl content? -The first (and for a long time, only) periodical devoted to All Things Perl, -I contains tutorials, demonstrations, case studies, -announcements, contests, and much more. I has columns on web -development, databases, Win32 Perl, graphical programming, regular -expressions, and networking, and sponsors the Obfuscated Perl Contest -and the Perl Poetry Contests. Beginning in November 2002, TPJ moved to a -reader-supported monthly e-zine format in which subscribers can download -issues as PDF documents. For more details on TPJ, see http://www.tpj.com/ +I ( http://www.theperlreview.com ) focuses on Perl +almost completely (although it sometimes sneaks in an article about +another language). There's also I<$foo Magazin>, a german magazine +dedicated to Perl, at ( http://www.foo-magazin.de ). -Beyond this, magazines that frequently carry quality articles on -Perl are I ( http://www.theperlreview.com ), -I ( http://www.unixreview.com/ ), -I ( http://www.linuxmagazine.com/ ), -and Usenix's newsletter/magazine to its members, I -( http://www.usenix.org/ ) +Magazines that frequently carry quality articles on Perl include I ( http://www.theperlreview.com ), I ( +http://www.unixreview.com/ ), I ( +http://www.linuxmagazine.com/ ), and Usenix's newsletter/magazine to +its members, I ( http://www.usenix.org/ ) The Perl columns of Randal L. Schwartz are available on the web at http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/WebTechniques/ , http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/UnixReview/ , and http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/LinuxMag/ . -=head2 Perl on the Net: FTP and WWW Access - -To get the best performance, pick a site from the list at -http://www.cpan.org/SITES.html . From there you can find the quickest -site for you. - -You may also use xx.cpan.org where "xx" is the 2-letter country code -for your domain; e.g. Australia would use au.cpan.org. [Note: This -only applies to countries that host at least one mirror.] +The first (and for a long time, only) periodical devoted to All Things +Perl, I contains tutorials, demonstrations, case +studies, announcements, contests, and much more. I has columns +on web development, databases, Win32 Perl, graphical programming, +regular expressions, and networking, and sponsors the Obfuscated Perl +Contest and the Perl Poetry Contests. Beginning in November 2002, TPJ +moved to a reader-supported monthly e-zine format in which subscribers +can download issues as PDF documents. In 2006, TPJ merged with Dr. +Dobbs Journal (online edition). To read old TPJ articles, see +http://www.ddj.com/ . =head2 What mailing lists are there for Perl? @@ -467,7 +450,7 @@ A comprehensive list of Perl related mailing lists can be found at: http://lists.perl.org/ -=head2 Archives of comp.lang.perl.misc +=head2 Where are the archives for comp.lang.perl.misc? The Google search engine now carries archived and searchable newsgroup content. @@ -526,9 +509,9 @@ The Perl Foundation is an advocacy organization for the Perl language which maintains the web site http://www.perl.org/ as a general advocacy site for the Perl language. It uses the domain to provide general support services to the Perl community, including the hosting -of mailing lists, web sites, and other services. The web site -http://www.perl.org/ is a general advocacy site for the Perl language, -and there are many other sub-domains for special topics, such as +of mailing lists, web sites, and other services. There are also many +other sub-domains for special topics like learning Perl, Perl news, jobs +in Perl, such as: http://learn.perl.org/ http://use.perl.org/ @@ -544,9 +527,17 @@ http://www.cpan.org/ is the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, a replicated worldwide repository of Perl software, see the I question earlier in this document. +=head1 REVISION + +Revision: $Revision: 10144 $ + +Date: $Date: 2007-10-31 13:50:01 +0100 (Wed, 31 Oct 2007) $ + +See L for source control details and availability. + =head1 AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHT -Copyright (c) 1997-2005 Tom Christiansen, Nathan Torkington, and +Copyright (c) 1997-2007 Tom Christiansen, Nathan Torkington, and other authors as noted. All rights reserved. This documentation is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it