Chapter 12: Network Programming in Perl

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Perl Language Overview

In this chapter, we investigate network programming in the Perl scripting language. Perl is an acronym for 'Practical Extraction and Report Language,' (or its creator's alternative 'Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister'). Perl can be used as a quick prototyping language or a fully featured, object-oriented language suitable for developing large applications. As we'll see in this chapter, Perl provides a good foundation of services for the network application developer. All code for this chapter can be found on the companion CD-ROM at /software/ch12.

Origin of the Perl Language

Perl began as a quick language to replace awk (a simple scripting language) for the purpose of constructing reports for a bug-tracking system. Larry Wall was the creator and remains the primary maintainer of the language. The earliest records of Perl implementations date back to the late 1980s, but the language has gone through many changes since that time to become the efficient and compact language that it is today. Perl has found uses in a number of different application areas, including not only those reserved by system shells (such as text processing), but also for fast prototyping and Web development (CGI).

Perl Language Heritage

The Perl language, being interpreted, is ideal for quick prototyping and for production software development. It can be used both as a procedural language and as an object-oriented language. Perl has a number of influences ranging from C, to Unix shells, to Unix text-processing utilities. Perl's syntax was inspired primarily by C, but Unix shell (sh) influences are also apparent. Perl also finds some heritage in the older Unix text-processing utilities, sed and awk. Finally, Perl is an interpreted scripting language like Python and Ruby.



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BSD Sockets Programming from a Multi-Language Perspective
Network Programming for Microsoft Windows , Second Edition (Microsoft Programming Series)
ISBN: 1584502681
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 225
Authors: Jim Ohlund

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