CHAPTER Introduction to Perl INFORMATION IN THIS CHAPTER: · Where Perl Is Useful · Working with Perl · Perl Basics · Putting It All Together 3 In this chapter we'll be discussing one of the venerable standbys of the scripting world, Perl. Perl is, in theory, an acronym, standing for Practical Extraction and Report Language [1] or perhaps Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister [2] depending on who we're talking to and what mood he is in. The motto of Perl is "There's more than one way to do it," which is a reference to the very loose and open structure of Perl. Perl can enable us to create scripts ranging from elegant and cleanly laid out to purposefully obfuscated and complex. Due to the plastic nature of scripts developed in Perl, a common response to the