I've found a few moments, and added a list of books I use regularly, and which I learned PERL from about 2 years ago to the FAQ site. I'm asked regularly what books do you use, what is the best book, etc. There is no "best" book. Everyone sees and understands things differently. There are essential references, and there are books I've found more useful than others, and which have proven themselves time and again.

I believe in many books, especially when working alone, late at night. They can often save hours of wasted time and frustration.

Take a look.

They do link to Amazon, for easy purchase, and for other people's reviews and more in depth information.

This is one area of the FAQ site, to test the "reviews" featurs on :)

BTW... the book images are using the Logo 01.1x mod to run.



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I have always told people wanting to start learning Perl to buy

"PERL and CGI" by "Elizabeth Castro".

It is by no means advanced Perl, it is very basic. But if you have no idea what you are doing, it is easily the best book to use to learn.

BTW - Perl 5 by Example in the PERL section has a dead image.

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Ah... I didn't have that image when I uploaded the link, and guessed what it would be. It's there now.

These are books I have, or have used. I'm sure there are many others, I just don't have them (and some I do, but I don't use them, or they are 'dated').

Any early cgi books, or anything based on Perl 4, or early Perl 5, is just not "valid" any more. Perl changed so much, and even cgi thinking has changed so much, that new books are much, much better for new projects -- and for updating old ones.

Even in the past 2 years, things have changed so much, that I find the old books less than useful on how to write perl, set up programs, create HTML, etc.

Today, most programs run under "use strict" and that is the mind set. The html thinking has changed as well, CSS and DHTML thinking, XML, are all more the mind set, and templates, rather than hard coding, or using << notation to mark off blocks of text.

The references haven't changed much, but the way to write programs, what is considered good and bad, and what is considered extensible and maintainable -- even for quick and dirty programming -- has changed.

Also, there is the layer of Links on top of it all, where it makes modifications to many of the CGI and SQL calls ... you need to remember that in using Links, you are working through an interface layer, so you do not really see the "low level" things many of the books talk about, or show.

Connecting to a database, setting up a template or page for output is just not the same :)

$db = $DB->table('Links');

or

print $IN->header();
print Links::SiteHTML::display ('error', { error => Links::language ('JUMP_INVALIDID', $id) });


Really, really spoils you :) And fast!!! :)





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Yup,

I didn't suggest that you add that book as I realised that it was a list of references you used. It was for the people reading this thread.

I really like the way CGI programming has changed over the last 18 months. The move to using DB interfaces, as well as templates make code so much neater and easier to layout.

The only thing that I felt has had a bit too much hype is XML. I have heard how revoluntionary it is going to be, however after reading about what it can do etc - It seems that a very simple template parser is twice as effective.

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Not really for cross-device compatibility...and XML is being prominently used in software markets, like for internet appliances and also for visually impaired technologies (substitute for screen reader technologies).

It will be a few more years before we see it used more...

Regards,

Eliot Lee
http://anthrotech.com/