Richard Hobson wrote:
> So, I've done the "Learning Perl" book, and frustrating myself no end
> by trying to write a chess program using just the knowledge contained
> in "Learning Perl" and with no modules.
> I thought about getting "Intermediate Perl", but I've heard that
> "Programming Perl" is the best next step.
> But, what's the advantage of "Programming Perl" when we have
"perldoc"?
> What does the book give me that perldoc does not?
A chess program sounds ambitious for a first program in a new language,
but more power to you. :-)
Download and install perlindex -- it is a perldoc wrapper script that
provides search and reading capabilities:
http://search.cpan.org/~ulpfr/perlindex-1.502/perlindex.PL
The perldoc tutorials are excellent and I've learned a lot from them,
but I see four books as the essential library for competence in Perl:
1. Learning Perl -- this is the first-level instruction book that gets
you up the initial learning curve. Read it cover to cover, enter the
code, and do the exercises. I recall pounding the first one-third in
one day, and most of the rest in under a week:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596520106/index.html
2. Perl Cookbook -- this is a source book of example Perl code,
organized by topic/ task. The code is idiomatic, and the explanations
are excellent. This book will give you the understanding and confidence
you need to start writing useful Perl scripts. Buy this book as soon as
you finish Learning Perl. You will want to keep it nearby whenever you
code. I read the first edition cover to cover, but it's meant to be a
random-access reference:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596003135/index.html
3. Programming Perl -- this is the language reference manual. Use it
to look things up when you need the hard-core explanation. I'd suggest
also buying this book as soon as you finish Learning Perl. It too is a
keeper. I believe I've read (only) both the 2nd and 3rd editions cover
to cover once each -- gnarly, but unnecessary for ordinary proficiency:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596000271/index.html
4. Intermediate Perl -- this is the second-level instruction book that
takes you from writing scripts to writing functional- and
object-oriented programs and libraries. After this book, you will know
how to make good use of the thousands of Perl modules available on CPAN
and elsewhere. You can hold off on this one until you feel the need:
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596102067/index.html
As you work your way through the above and beyond, perldoc will be your
primary information source for the modules that you choose. Other
resources include source code and the community.
As an aside, I find that I am the most comfortable with Perl on a Unix
platform (I prefer Debian GNU/Linux). Other platforms can make things
more difficult.
HTH,
David
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