(Search & Sitemap)
> Writing >
Miscellaneous Nonfiction >
Tinkering with Perl
Skip Back
Previous
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
Next
Skip Forward
Printer-Friendly Version
There are different languages that humans use to communicate with each other -- English, French, German, Italian, and so on. There are also languages for humans to tell computers to do things. Perl is one of many such languages.
Different computer languages have different strengths and weaknesses. Each one has a slightly different function -- just like the tools in a tool chest (hammer, pliers, screwdriver, etc.) have different functions.
There is a difference between computer and human languages, which is this: Human languages are difficult to learn, at least for adults. Even if you can communicate well in English, you will have to work hard to be able to communicate even badly in French or German (if you have not already had experience with them). But with computer languages, once you have really learned to program, learning a new language is fairly easy.
This is part of why I am using Perl as the language for this book, instead of using the language I know best (C). Perl is a good, easy language to begin with, and I hope both that you can learn Perl, and move on to other languages that will teach you other things that Perl doesn't teach you very well. I think, for example, that Java is a good second language. After Perl and Java, you should be able to use almost any language.
Tinkering with Perl is a free book that provides an introduction to programming in Perl, as well as a basic reference for things like foreach in Perl, if-then, and if-then-else, in addition to providing a glossary where you can find definitions for concatenate and other terms.
Tinkering with Perl may be one of the most popular offerings on this site, but it's not the only attraction. You can read a tongue-in-cheek Game Review: Meatspace, read an even more offbeat customer service survey (whether or not you actually fill it out), and spend a few minutes wishing your boss would read, The Administrator Who Cried, "Important!" (Not to mention that there are other things you can read here besides tech stuff, from Janra Ball: The Headache to The Spectacles.)
(Search & Sitemap)
> Writing >
Miscellaneous Nonfiction >
Tinkering with Perl
Skip Back
Previous
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
Next
Skip Forward
Printer-Friendly Version