appb.htm

《Perl 5 Unreleased》

<H4>World Wide Web</H4>
<P>
These include HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME processing and more. Because
much of Web page processing is basic text processing, many of
the text-processing modules are also helpful. Some of the more
useful modules deal with the inconsistencies in HTTP daemons,
provide CGI interfaces, and process various MIME types.
<H4>Server and Daemon Utilities</H4>
<P>
UNIX, in general, and the Internet, specifically, depend on servers
and daemons to perform much of their processing. These modules
interface with or implement servers and daemons.
<H4>Image Processing</H4>
<P>
These modules perform image processing and bitmap manipulation.
<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">GD</FONT></TT> is an interface to the
<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">GD</FONT></TT> library that can create
GIF images on-the-fly. <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">OpenGL</FONT></TT>
is a module that allows a Perl program to use <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">OpenGL</FONT></TT>
by letting it make function calls. <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">pgperl</FONT></TT>
is a version of the Perl language that has the <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">PGPLOT
FORTRAN</FONT></TT> library available, a very popular package
for plotting astronomical data.
<H4>Mail and Usenet News</H4>
<P>
SMTP mail and Usenet news are essentially a set of text streams.
Because Perl is optimized to handle text, it is an obvious choice
for manipulating mail and news. <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Mailtools</FONT></TT>
implements a set of tools for mail processing. <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">POP3Client</FONT></TT>
is, as its name applies, a post office protocol (POP) version
3 client. There are also a couple of NNTP clients and news-handling
modules.
<H4>Control Flow Utilities</H4>
<P>
These modules implement callbacks and handle exceptions. For example,
<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Religion</FONT></TT> provides simplified
access to <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">$SIG{__DIE__}</FONT></TT> and
<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">$SIG{__WARN__}</FONT></TT>, which allow
control over what happens when a <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">die()</FONT></TT>
or <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">warn()</FONT></TT> occurs and (as
a side effect) enhance the standard error messages, which is especially
useful if you are dealing with <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">eval()</FONT></TT>s.
<H4>File and Directory Handles</H4>
<P>
These deal with directories and file handles as well as input/output
stream utilities.
<H4>Miscellaneous Modules</H4>
<P>
Here is everything else. Because of its ease of use and versatility,
Perl is being used in many different ways. At the time of this
writing, there are utilities to implement an Archie server/client.
There is a routine to interface to freeWAIS and implement a chat
client. There is also a module that provides two interfaces to
the Remedy Action Request System. The first is a basic interface
to the C API provided with the AR system (<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Remedy::Ar</FONT></TT>).
The second is an object-oriented version of the same (<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Remedy::Ar::Server</FONT></TT>
and <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Remedy::Ar::Schema</FONT></TT>).
There is also a Gann Neural Network C++ library and Perl extension.
<H2><A NAME="Perl5ModuleList"><FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#FF0000>Perl
5 Module List</FONT></A></H2>
<P>
If you program for Perl 5, you might want to get a copy of the
Perl 5 Module list maintained by Tim Bunce <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">&lt;[e-mail]&gt;</FONT></TT>.
<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDERCOLOR=#000000 BORDER=1>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=570><B>Introduction to the Perl 5 Module List</B>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=570>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
This document is a semi-formal list of Perl 5 modules. The Perl 4 concept of packages has been extended in Perl 5, and a new standardized form of reusable software components has been defined: the Module. Perl 5 modules typically conform to certain 
guidelines that make them easier to use, reuse, integrate, and extend. The list is posted to <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.announce</FONT></TT> and <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.answers</FONT></TT> on a semi-regular basis. It has two key aims:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<UL>
<LI>For developers: To change duplication of effort into cooperation
<LI>For users: To quickly locate existing software that can be reused
</UL>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
This list includes the Perl 5 standard modules, other completed modules, work-in-progress modules, and would-be-nice-to-have ideas for modules. It also includes guidelines for those wishing to create new modules, including how to name them.</BLOCKQUOTE>

</TD></TR>
</TABLE></CENTER>
<P>
<P>
To give you an idea what can be found on the list, here is the
table of contents from revision 2.21 dated March 21, 1996. The
list is posted periodically to the <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.announce</FONT></TT>
and <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.answers</FONT></TT> newsgroups.
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Contents<BR>
<BR>
</FONT></TT>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">
Introduction<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Where Are The Modules Kept?<BR>
</FONT></TT>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">
Playing Your Part<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How To Get a More Recent Copy of the
List<BR>
</FONT></TT>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<TT><FONT FACE="Courier">
Editorial Information and Copyright<BR>
<BR>
Part 1 - Modules: Creation, Use and Abuse<BR>
<BR>
1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perl 5 Module Terminology<BR>
2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Guidelines for Module Creation<BR>
3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts
into Modules<BR>
4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Guidelines for Reusing Application Code<BR>
<BR>
Part 2 - The Perl 5 Module List<BR>
<BR>
1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Module Listing Format<BR>
2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perl Core Modules, Perl Language Extensions
and Documentation Tools<BR>
3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Development Support<BR>
4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Operating System Interfaces<BR>
5)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess
Communication<BR>
6) ! Data Types and Data Type Utilities<BR>
7)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Database Interfaces<BR>
8)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;User Interfaces<BR>
9)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Interfaces to or Emulations of Other Programming
Languages<BR>
10)&nbsp;&nbsp;File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see
also File Handles)<BR>
11)&nbsp;&nbsp;String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing
and Searching<BR>
12)&nbsp;&nbsp;Option, Argument, Parameter and Configuration File
Processing<BR>
13)&nbsp;&nbsp;Internationalization and Locale<BR>
14)&nbsp;&nbsp;Authentication, Security and Encryption<BR>
15)&nbsp;&nbsp;World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME<BR>
16)&nbsp;&nbsp;Server and Daemon Utilities<BR>
17)&nbsp;&nbsp;Archiving, Compression and Conversion<BR>
18)&nbsp;&nbsp;Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing
and Graphing<BR>
19)&nbsp;&nbsp;Mail and Usenet News<BR>
20)&nbsp;&nbsp;Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions
etc)<BR>
21)&nbsp;&nbsp;File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities<BR>
22)&nbsp;&nbsp;Microsoft Windows Modules<BR>
23)&nbsp;&nbsp;Miscellaneous Modules<BR>
<BR>
Part 3 - Big Projects Registry<BR>
<BR>
1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Introduction<BR>
2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Items in the Todo File<BR>
3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perl Compiler<BR>
4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Multi-threading<BR>
5)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Object Management Group CORBA &amp; IDL<BR>
6)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Expand Tied Array Interface<BR>
7)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tied File Handles<BR>
8)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Extend Yacc To Write XS Code<BR>
9)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Updatable Module List via WWW Forms<BR>
10)&nbsp;&nbsp;Approximate Matching Regular Expressions<BR>
<BR>
Part 4 - Who's Who and What's Where<BR>
<BR>
1) ! Information / Contact Reference Details<BR>
2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perl Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Files
<BR>
3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other Perl Archive Sites<BR>
<BR>
Key: '+' indicates a new section or item,<BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '!' indicates a changed section or item
(typically new modules).</FONT></TT>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<H2><A NAME="Newsgroups"><FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#FF0000>Newsgroups</FONT></A>
</H2>
<P>
Again, because Perl is a popular language designed to get things
done, there is a lot of help out there. It is likely that someone
has done what you are attempting or has done something similar
and can point you to a code example or module similar to the one
you are designing.
<P>
Newsgroups are a good place to interact with these resources and
a good place to find out about new modules available at the various
sites. You might want to start with these newsgroups when you
are looking for a particular module or need help with your Perl
programming.
<P>
One note: there appears to be a great deal of cross-posting in
these newsgroups. If you look to these groups to find something
(and you probably will have to examine them all), you'll have
to wade through a lot of cross-postings to find the &quot;good
stuff.&quot;<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDERCOLOR=#000000 BORDER=1>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><I>Newsgroup</I></TD><TD WIDTH=346><I>Comment</I>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl...</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>This set of newsgroups covers information about Perl in general. Much of the discussion in the specific groups covers using Perl for utility purposes and also as a CGI scripting language. Presumably, any new newsgroup started will be 
under this high-level structure.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.announce</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>Information about Perl itself and new modules for Perl programming.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>The main newsgroup about Perl. This is a good place to start when you're looking for Perl information.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.modules</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>Discussions of Perl modules. This newsgroup also contains information about new/revised Perl modules available.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.misc</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>Intended as a place where discussions that don't fit in the other newsgroups end up. However, it seems mostly to be a place where cross-postings end up.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.modules</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>Discussions of Perl modules. This newsgroup also contains information about new/revised Perl modules available.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=244><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">comp.lang.perl.tk</FONT></TT>
</TD><TD WIDTH=346>Discussions of <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">tk</FONT></TT> use with Perl.
</TD></TR>
</TABLE></CENTER>
<P>
<H2><A NAME="WebPages"><FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#FF0000>Web Pages</FONT></A>
</H2>
<P>
Here are Web pages devoted to Perl. They can be good sources of
information and modules. If I have missed your site (or your favorite
site), I apologize. Any attempt to compile a &quot;complete&quot;
list of any type on the Internet is futile. (The Open Text Search
Index returned 13,035 references for <I>Perl</I>.)
<P>
These are examples of the large amount of information available
on the Web about Perl. Many contain links and are valuable starting
points for resources. They are presented in alphabetical order
with my comments:<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199><I>Web Page Title</I></TD><TD WIDTH=450><I>Address/Content</I>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Adam Rifkin's Perl</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/LOCAL/perl.html" tppabs="http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/LOCAL/perl.html">http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/LOCAL/perl.html</A><BR>
</FONT></TT>Perl links.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Andy Dougherty's<BR>
Perl 5 Page</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.lafayette.edu/doughera/doughera/perl/%20perl.html" tppabs="http://www.lafayette.edu/doughera/doughera/perl/%20perl.html">http://www.lafayette.edu/doughera/doughera/perl/ perl.html</A><BR>
</FONT></TT>Perl 5 links.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>An Introduction to Perl</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.spu.edu/tech/basic-perl/" tppabs="http://www.spu.edu/tech/basic-perl/">http://www.spu.edu/tech/basic-perl/</A></TT>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Computers and Internet:</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.yahoo.com/Computers/World_Wide_Web/" tppabs="http://www.yahoo.com/Computers/World_Wide_Web/">http://www.yahoo.com/Computers/World_Wide_Web/</A></FONT></TT>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Internet:World Wide Web:
<BR>
Programming:Perl Scripts
</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Programming/Perl_Scripts/</FONT></TT>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Index of Perl/HTML</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~mengwong/perl.html" tppabs="http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~mengwong/perl.html">http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~mengwong/perl.html</A></TT>
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Archives</TD><TD WIDTH=450>Links to scripts and archives involving HTML.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Jeffrey's Perl Stuff</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www.wg.omron.co.jp/~jfriedl/perl/index.html" tppabs="http://www.wg.omron.co.jp/~jfriedl/perl/index.html">http://www.wg.omron.co.jp/~jfriedl/perl/index.html</A>
<BR>
</FONT></TT>A collection of Perl written by Jeffrey.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Lincoln Stein's Homepage</TD><TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/~lstein/" tppabs="http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/~lstein/">http://www-genome.wi.mit.edu/~lstein/</A><BR>
</FONT></TT>Perl utilities.
</TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN=TOP><TD WIDTH=199>Malcolm Beattie's work <BR>
on Perl 5</TD>
<TD WIDTH=450><TT><A HREF="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mbeattie/" tppabs="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mbeattie/">http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mbeattie/</A><BR>
</FONT></TT>Information on the <TT><FONT FACE="Courier">Tk</FONT></TT> extension to Perl.