Amazon.com Review
There are now a number of good Perl books available, but this excellent contribution stands out in a number of ways (apart from the rarity that it's not from O'Reilly). The most significant way may be that
Perl's computer-scientist author advocates the use of Perl as a full-fledged programming language in addition to recommending its use for system administration or CGI programs.
This book is a fine introduction to Perl for experienced C, C++, and Java programmers. Perl has plenty of sidebars that explain the differences between Perl and these other languages and how Perl can help you overcome the limitations of these languages.
Chapman starts off with language basics, but instead of listing all the basic constructs and introducing the obligatory "Hello, world!" program, he introduces you to what he terms "programming idioms." This thought-provoking approach gradually eases you into learning the basic Perl constructs without presenting you with dry examples and tables of potentially confusing information. By the time you realize what's going on, it's too late: you've already learned something. The book has some great chapters, and it even describes how to scope variables correctly (apparently no mean feat, since few tutorials get it right).
The advanced chapters on references and objects really shine. Examples of objects lead you through a logical progression from project visualization to finished product. The author then assists you in creating a set of modules that calculate taxes for a small town, where different rates exist for business and residential buildings. Here, the guide introduces and explains several key concepts for Perl object manipulation.
The examples in the book make sense and, best of all, they are original and have real-world relevance. When explaining pack() and unpack(), the author creates a wonderful example of parsing the headers of a MIDI file to gather track data and then process the individual tracks of the file. While the book does not pack the heft of some Perl tomes (it only contains 273 pages), it's crammed with great examples and ideas. In short, Perl: The Programmer's Companionis a great addition to any Perl programmer's library.
Product Description
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 its 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 Programmers 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 Perls features to familiar territory. Written in a clear and approachable style, the authors 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 Programmers Companion is not exclusive to Unix users, but presents Perl as a language that can ease the programmers burden, no matter what system it is used on.This way, even at the beginning, you can get useful programs running rather than just printing "Hello world" various numbers of times … ??? The Programmers 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) doesnt hand-hold too much, and (2) covers most of the more advanced features of the language.
by Tom Christiansen
by Tom Christiansen
by Dennis M. Ritchie
by Jon Orwant
