Title: Perl
Short: Perl script language (v5.001)
ShortName: perl.arc
Author: Larry Wall (lwall@netlabs.com)
Release date: 5-mar-96
Status: Freeware
Archiver: SparkFS
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Short description:

Perl is an interpreted language optimized for scanning arbitrary text files,
extracting information from those text files, and printing reports based on
that information.  It's also a good language for many system management tasks.
It combines some of the best features of C, sed, awk and sh, so people familiar
with those languages should have little difficulty with it.  Expression syntax
corresponds quite closely to C expression syntax.

This is the RISC OS port originally by Luke Taylor, extended and revised by
Steve Ellacott. These extensions include a port of the GNU gdbm database
manager (permitting associative arrays to be stored on disc) and access to the
RISCOS kernel.  Several serious bugs have been fixed and some test scripts are
included.  A manual in Impression format is also included.

The Perl package directory contains the file a049h.arc which is a !SrcEdit
format help file for the programming language Perl.  Although of greatest use
to people using !SrcEdit the file is useful for on-line help with any editor as
a search may be made for '%<keyword>' which will find the entry for <keyword>
if it exists.  Author: Ashley Oliver.  See HELPUPDATE (a289) for a utility to
convert to StrongHelp format.