Perl

Perl 5.40 (2024) introduced a native try/catch and the __CLASS__ keyword. It remains unbeatable for text processing one-liners.

When to Use

• Text Processing: Regex engine is the gold standard.
• Sysadmin: Legacy scripts on every Unix system.
• Bioinformatics: Massive existing codebases (Bioperl).

Core Concepts

Sigils

$scalar, @array, %hash. Visual typing.

Context

Scalar vs List context. my $len = @arr (count) vs my. ($first) = @arr (element).

CPAN

The “Comprehensive Perl Archive Network”. The original package repository.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use v5.40: Enable new features use v5.40;.
• Use strict and warnings: Mandatory for sanity.
• Use App::cpanminus: Modern installer.

Don’t:

• Don’t write “write-only” code: value readability over golf.

References

• Perl.org