Perl The Programmer's Companion Nigel Chapman Perl is a powerful and flexible programming language. A programmer can easily put together short Perl programs to perform tasks that might otherwise require hours of development effort from a team of specialists-and it's free! Perl is different in many ways from more conventional languages, and programmers who are used to Java, C or C++ can find its syntax and data types unusual. The Programmer's Companion is intended to show such programmers the power of Perl and to introduce them to its unique features. Clearly flagged comparisons with other languages help relate Perl's features to familiar territory. Written in a clear and approachable style, the author's account of Perl is informed by his extensive knowledge of other programming languages. The book includes:

* a description of new Perl5 language extensions and characteristics such as the object-oriented features

* live, up-and-running programming examples based on real Perl scripts

* an introduction to the use of modules which extend the power of Perl into many application areas

* using Perl on the Web

* pointers to Perl resources on the Web

The Programmer's Companion is not exclusive to Unix users, but presents Perl as a language that can ease the programmer's burden, no matter what system it is used on. Visit our website at http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/ ??? This book is arranged in an innovative way: rather than introduce the language keyword by keyword, it introduces "template" programs that make use of Perl's neat pattern features and implicit arguments. This way, even at the beginning, you can get useful programs running rather than just printing "Hello world" various numbers of times . ??? The Programmer's Companion fills the niche for a Perl language learning book aimed at the programmer who wants a solid book, to teach the language, which (1) doesn't hand-hold too much, and (2) covers most of the more advanced features of the language.