NAME
beginners-faq - FAQ for the beginners mailing list
1 - Administriva
1.1 - I'm not subscribed - how do I subscribe?
Send mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
You can also specify your subscription email address by sending email to
(assuming [EMAIL PROTECTED] is your email address):
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
1.2 - How do I unsubscribe?
Now, why would you want to do that? Send mail to
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, and wait for a response. Once you
reply to the response, you'll be unsubscribed. If that doesn't work,
find the email address which you are subscribed from and send an email
like the following (let's assume your email is [EMAIL PROTECTED]):
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
1.3 - There is too much traffic on this list. Is there a digest?
Yes. To subscribe to the digest version of this list send an email to:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To unsubscribe from the digest, send an email to:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
1.4 - Is there an archive on the web?
Yes, there is. It is located at:
http://archive.develooper.com/beginners%40perl.org/
1.5 - How can I get this FAQ?
This document will be emailed to the list once a month, and will be
available online in the archives, and at http://beginners.perl.org/
1.6 - I don't see something in the FAQ, how can I make a suggestion?
Send an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with your suggestion.
1.7 - Is there a supporting website for this list?
Yes, there is. It is located at:
http://beginners.perl.org/
1.8 - Who owns this list? Who do I complain to?
Casey West owns the beginners list. You can contact him at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
1.9 - Who currently maintains the FAQ?
Kevin Meltzer, who can be reached at the email address (for FAQ
suggestions only) at the email address in question 1.6
1.10 - When was this FAQ last updated?
May 23, 2001
2 - Questions about the 'beginners' list.
2.1 - What is the list for?
A list for beginning Perl programmers to ask questions in a friendly
atmosphere.
2.2 - What is this list _not_ for?
* SPAM
* Homework
* Solicitation
* Things that aren't Perl related
* Monkeys
2.3 - Are there any rules?
Yes. As with most communities, there are rules. Not many, and ones that
shouldn't need to be mentioned, but they are.
* Be nice
* No flaming
* Have fun
2.4 - What topics are allowed on this list?
Basically, if it has to do with Perl, then it is allowed. You can ask
CGI, networking, syntax, style, etc... types of questions. If your
question has nothing at all to do with Perl, it will likely be ignored.
If it has anything to do with Perl, it will likely be answered.
2.5 - I want to help, what should I do?
Subscribe to the list! If you see a question which you can give an
idiomatic and Good answer to, answer away! If you do not know the
answer, wait for someone to answer, and learn a little.
2.6 - Is there anything I should keep in mind while answering?
We don't want to see 'RTFM'. That isn't very helpful. Instead, guide the
beginner to the place in the FM they should R :)
2.7 - I don't want to post a question if it is in an FAQ. Where should I
look first?
Look in the FAQ! Get acquainted with the 'perldoc' utility, and use it.
It can save everyone time if you look in the Perl FAQs first, instead of
having a list of people refer you to the Perl FAQs :) You can learn
about 'perldoc' by typing:
`perldoc perldoc'
At your command prompt. You can also view documentation online at:
http://www.perldoc.com and http://www.perl.com
3 - Other Resources
3.1 - What other websites may be useful to a beginner ?
* Perl Home Page - http://www.perl.com
* PerlMonks - http://www.perlmonks.org
* Perldoc - http://www.perldoc.com
* Perl Archives - http://www.perlarchives.com
3.2 - What resources may be harmful to a beginner?
Anything having to do with the names Matt Wright, or Selena Sol. Why?
You may ask yourself. Well, their scripts are old and have been known to
be buggy, as well as have security issues. They were written in the days
of Perl 4. This means there is no scoping, stricture, warnings, idioms,
or file locking to name a few issues. Because of this, it may be best to
not steer a new Perl programmer to their code. It is easier to learn the
correct way the first time, rather than have to relearn (or reteach) bad
habits that are picked up.
3.3 - What books would be good?
* Programming Perl, 3rd Ed. by Larry Wall, et al. (O'Reilly)
* Learning Perl, 3rd Ed. by Randal Schwartz, et al. (O'Reilly)
* Perl Cookbook, by Nat Torkington/Tom Christiansen (O'Reilly)
* Mastering Regular Expressions, by Jeffrey Friedl (O'Reilly)
* Effective Perl Programming, by Joseph N. Hall (Addison-Wesley)
* Network Programming with Perl, by Lincoln Stein (Addison-Wesley)
* Writing CGI Applications with Perl, by Kevin Meltzer/Brent Michalski
(Addison-Wesley)
* Object Oriented Perl, by Damian Conway (Manning)
* Data Munging with Perl, by Dave Cross (Manning)
* Teach Yourself Perl in 24 Hours, by Clinton Pierce (Sams)
* Beginning Perl, by Simon Cozens (Wrox)
3.4 I use IRC, any helpful Perl channels out there?
Glad you asked! There is indeed a place where you can ask all your Perl
questions on IRC.
Network: irc.rhizomatic.net
Channel: #perl-help
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