What Is Perl?
Perl is an interpreted programming language, particularly suited for text processing, that is included by default in FreeBSD and is the basis for many crucial system tools. Its name stands for “Practical Extraction and Report Language” (although several less- flattering variants exist). Perl was written by Larry Wall as a replacement for the more limited awk. He is still its chief architect, and is currently (as of this writing) working on the newly redesigned Perl 6.
Many, many large books have been written on the subject of Perl. Its usefulness in today's world is so vast, its presence so ubiquitous, and its structure so complex that even those who can claim mastery of the language are frequently surprised by hidden quirks or ...
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