Perl is a
script programming language that is similar in
syntax to the
C language and that includes a number of popular
UNIX facilities such as sed,
awk, and tr. Perl is an
interpreted language that can optionally be compiled just before execution into either
C code or cross-platform
bytecode. When compiled, a Perl program is almost (but not quite) as fast as a fully precompiled C language program. Perl is regarded as a good choice for developing common gateway interface (CGI) programs because it has good text manipulation facilities (although it also handles binary files). It was invented by Larry Wall.
In general, Perl is easier to learn and faster to code in than the more structured C and C++ languages. Perl programs can, however, be quite sophisticated. Perl tends to have devoted adherents. A plug-in can be installed for some servers (Apache, for example) so that Perl is loaded permanently in memory, thus reducing compile time and resulting in faster execution of CGI Perl scripts.
Perl was originally said to stand for "Practical Extraction and Reporting Language" but that name is no longer used. Larry Wall prefers the usage of an upper-case "Perl" for the language itself and lower-case "perl" for any interpreter or compiler of Perl.
Contributor(s): Jon Lenzer
This was last updated in August 2000
Dig Deeper
-
Much of today’s business relies on smooth operation of Web servers. Explore these three open source tools to monitor performance, security and traffic on Apache Web servers.
-
Learn how to keep your Apache Web server secure by applying basic SELinux settings, including adjusting SELinux so Apache uses nondefault settings.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 uses Postfix for mail transmission. Learn how to configure the open source mail server in your Linux system.
-
People who read this also read...
-
Resources from around the Web