Despite being one of the older programming languages, having been created by Larry Wall in 1987, Perl is still an incredibly powerful and useful skill to have in your arsenal.
Perl, which unofficially stands for practical, extraction and report language, is an open-source computer programming language typically used for text processing tasks. Somewhat similar to the popular programming language Python, Perl was established to make scripting an easier process and it remains useful to this day.
Due to its versatility, Perl is often referred to as the Swiss army knife or chainsaw of programming languages and if you are wondering why you should use it and how you can apply it then read on.
Ease of use
Of course it is going to take determination, motivation and a base level of skill to learn a new programming language, but as far as learning Perl, if you have experience with other languages, for example the aforementioned Python, then it should not be difficult.
Some resources suggest that if you study for roughly an hour a day, then you can pick it up in around three months, depending on your preferred level of proficiency. Some would consider Perl a comparatively easier programming language due to its flexibility and syntax, which lets users code in their own style.
Additionally a wealth of online resources such as Perl communities, YouTube videos and free and inexpensive courses have made the learning of Perl fairly accessible.
Variety of styles
Perl is a flexible, adaptable programming language that doesn’t force just one particular style on the user. By supporting a number of formats, such as procedural, functional or object oriented programming (OOP), Perl can be used for a wide range of projects.
OOP is arguably the most popular style as it enables people to break software down into reusable components and is typically the first format to be introduced to beginners. Procedural programming is a sequence of instructions or steps to be executed and the final style, functional, is the process of organising code around the idea of using functions.
All of them come with a laundry list of pros and cons, so if you are interested in learning more about the different formats, there are loads of great online resources to help you decide which style would work best for your particular project.
Security
Perl can be considered a secure programming language, based on frequent Coverity scans, which show that it has a low-defect density. This means that there are fewer defects detected per line of code. The Coverity rating suggests that currently it is a safer language than Python.
Additionally, one such use case for Perl is in enhancing security, as it can be put towards identifying flaws in software and networks, making it a great choice of programming language for web development, networking and bioinformatics.
Features
Perl is almost 40 years old and has aged like a fine wine. As it is with people, ageing is a privilege not a burden and in the decades since Perl was invented, it has evolved to become a powerful and feature rich platform.
Capable of running on more than 100 platforms and suited to both small and large scale development projects, Perl’s extensive features include text manipulation, Unicode support and markup language compatibility, among others.
Fun ways to learn
Practice makes perfect and if you are a newbie to the world of Perl, there are a number of ways you can improve your skills, outside of more traditional learning structures.
For example, you could start your own beginner-friendly project, such as a Perl-based word counter that will count the number of words in a text. This is a simple project that should only take four hours or so, but by the end you will have an understanding of file I/O and string manipulation.
A slightly more difficult project would be building a text-based RPG game, that would take around 10 hours and by the end, not only would you have a fun game to play, but you would be able to discuss complex control structures, object-oriented programming, and text parsing.
For projects that you independently undertake you may require certain skills and resources, for example a basic understanding of Perl and software installation, so research what you are going to need before you start.
Perl may be an older programming language but it is still a desired skill in a number of careers, such as web development, web automation, networking and bioinformatics, among others, so why not give an OG programming language a go?
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