Perl 5 by Example (Paperback)

by David Medinets (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Perl 5 by Example offers a reasonably-paced introduction to programming in Perl at a level accessible to readers with no prior programming experience. Especially valuable for readers who learned HTML on their own and now want to try more sophisticated Web programming, Perl 5 by Example starts with the basics--what are literals, variables, functions, and so forth--and advances through using Perl with CGI, to process Web-based forms, for instance. David Medinets includes numerous notes, tips, and cross-references that can help novice programmers avoid getting tripped up by common mistakes or misunderstandings.

Product Description
This book is similar to all other By Example books in that it provides a jump-start to the Perl language for both new programmers and experienced programmers alike. It concentrates heavily on showing readers how to program similar to existing programs that are cited throughout the book as examples.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 670 pages
• Publisher: Que (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789708663
• ISBN-13: 978-0789708663
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #925,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After Careful Evaluation, I like this book., October 18, 1999

By	Golden Lion "Reader" (North Ogden, Ut United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I am a Professional Perl Programmer. My site is David Nishimoto's Perl Page. I've read the 'Perl by Example' book many times and find it to be one of the best written books for perl. I like the book because it takes the reader - concept by concept through the Perl Language. The large number of examples helps demonstrate how the language syntax behaves. My experience in teaching perl is that examples are very helpful in understanding syntax. Once a programmer understands the Perl Language, Perl Function modules can be created to insulate some of the complexity of the language. Perl's substitution, match, and translate grammers are explained very well in the book. I valued the explainations on user defined functions and built in functions. The 'Perl by Example' book finishes with a discussion of CGI and interface with the http server, also very valueable. The book keeps the reader enthused about learning Perl by building from simple concepts to more advanced concepts through the document. I feel comfortable in recommending this book as a valuable Perl resource.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes Yes Yes!, January 5, 2000

By	Cray Walken (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Finally! An author that knows how important examples really are. This book does not lie -- it contains many, many sample Perl scripts readers can trace through.

There are appropriate questions and exercises at the end of each chapter. A CD with source code is included.

The author is wonderful with his writing, and each sample script is commonly explained line by line.

I don't understand why everybody likes those O'Reilly books so much more than this. I couldn't find one error in it (at least not yet). I'd rather have this one book and get everything I need instead of buying an arsenal of those O'Reilly's.... They don't even come with CD's and they're written in the worst paper ever invented with the smallest print possible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful, October 11, 2000

By A Customer

I have been perl programming for a little over 2 years now, and this is the _best_ book I've found for beginning to intermediate programming. The O'Reilly books, even the "Learning Perl" book doesn't give the reader enough examples, nor are the explanations aimed toward the new programmer. Perl5 By Example does a fantastic job of explaining the examples given, and doing so in terms a new programmer would understand.