Programmers aren’t usually associated with culture, except the sort that grows inside a fridge. But Perl is different; it’s spawned an array of pastimes such as Obfuscated Perl and Perl Poetry that perplex some outsiders but seem perfectly natural to the renaissance hackers attracted to Perl. As Larry says in Chapter 2, Perl is an intentionally postmodern language, employing features of its ancestors with a sang-froid that encourages Perl programmers not to take their craft too seriously.
The seven sections of this book are a grab bag: 41 of the best articles from The Perl Journal, plus 6 extra articles compiled especially for this book. Together, they span the playful aspects of Perl (with a rather broad interpretation of “playful”).
Each of the seven sections—culture, science, language, games and quizzes, poetry, politics, and obfuscated Perl—have their own introductions, so let’s get on with it. First up is Part I, where you’ll read about Perl’s postmodernism, how to automate your household appliances, and other flavorful topics.
Speaking for the Best of TPJ authors, we hope you enjoy this collection, and that it inspires you not just to participate in these pastimes, but to create your own new ones.
Get Games, Diversions & Perl Culture now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
