Hour 22. Perl Programming in UNIX

In the preceding hour you learned about the C programming language, the underpinnings of the entire UNIX operating system. C has been around for as long as UNIX—more than 25 years—without any major changes. Newer languages have arisen in the meantime, languages with weird names such as Python, Eiffel, Tkl, and Perl. Each has certain strengths, but it has been my experience that knowledge of C, shell scripts, and Perl is the cornerstone of any UNIX expert.

This hour I introduce you to the Perl language. Perl is an interpreted language, so it doesn't require you to use a compiler as an intermediate step in getting it to work. Perl works much more like shell scripts, which makes it easier as a development tool. However, it's worth pointing out that running lots of Perl programs simultaneously is definitely more resource-intensive than running a similar number of C programs.

Whether or not you read through the lesson on C programming, I definitely encourage you to read more about Perl. Perl is the programming language of choice for Web professionals, as you'll learn in the next hour when we talk about the Apache Web server and how it fits gracefully into the UNIX environment.