Perl is an enormously popular scripting language that runs on many different operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X, and provides programmers with a robust and powerful programming language that is easy to learn, yet sufficiently complex to tackle just about any job. As such, it's a perfect programming language for those new to programming to learn. Perl Programming for the Absolute Beginner has been designed to teach you how to develop Perl scripts and to help you become an effective programmer, and teaches concepts through the creation of simple games. Whether you are an experienced programmer looking to learn another language or you are reading this book as the first step in your programming career, you will find that this book's games-based teaching approach makes the learning process a lot more enjoyable. You will also find that the knowledge you'll gain from developing Perl-based games will provide you with a strong foundation from which you can branch out and tackle more complex challenges.

The sixth edition of this bestselling Perl tutorial includes recent changes to the language. Years of classroom testing and experience helped shape the book's pace and scope, and this edition is packed with exercises that let readers practice the concepts while they follow the text.

Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner provides you with an introduction to Java that allows you to learn the fundamentals of object-oriented programming while becoming acquainted with many of the core features of Java. This book starts with the assumption that you have not previously written a computer program. It then walks you through the creation of a variety of games and applications. After you have your footing with the basics, you learn to develop your own systems of classes, and by the end of the book, you are working with many of Java's Graphical User Interface (GUI) features and developing a desktop Windows application. This book provides a solid introduction for anyone desiring a relaxed, fully guided tour of the fundamentals of Java, programming, and the objectoriented approach to application development.

Targeting the novice, this guide teaches the basics of computer programming with Ruby through the creation of simple computer games. Not only will this "learn by doing" approach provide programmers with an instant sense of accomplishment, but its also a fun way to learn.

Bring new power, performance, and scalability to your existing Perl code! Cure whatever ails your Perl code! Maintain, optimize, and scale any Perl software... whether you wrote it or not Perl software engineering best practices for enterprise environments Includes case studies and code in a fun-to-read format Today's Perl developers spend 60-80% of their time working with existing Perl code. Now, there's a start-to-finish guide to understanding that code, maintaining it, updating it, and refactoring it for maximum performance and reliability. Peter J. Scott, lead author of Perl Debugged, has written the first systematic guide to Perl software engineering. Through extensive examples, he shows how to bring powerful discipline, consistency, and structure to any Perl program-new or old. You'll discover how to: Scale existing Perl code to serve larger network, Web, enterprise, or e-commerce applications Rewrite, restructure, and upgrade any Perl program for improved performance Bring standards and best practices to your entire library of Perl software Organize Perl code into modules and components that are easier to reuse Upgrade code written for earlier versions of Perl Write and execute better tests for your software...or anyone else's Use Perl in team-based, methodology-driven environments Document your Perl code more effectively and efficiently If you've ever inherited Perl code that's hard to maintain, if you write Perl code others will read, if you want to write code that'll be easier for you to maintain, the book that comes to your rescue is Perl Medic. If you code in Perl, you need to read this book.–Adam Turoff, Technical Editor, The Perl Review. Perl Medic is more than a book. It is a well-crafted strategy for approaching, updating, and furthering the cause of inherited Perl programs.–Allen Wyke, co-author of several computer books including JavaScript Unleashed and Pure JavaScript. Scott's explanations of complex material are smooth and deceptively simple. He knows his subject matter and his craft-he makes it look easy. Scott remains relentless practical-even the 'Analysis' chapter is filled with code and tests to run.–Dan Livingston, author of several computer books including Advanced Flash 5: Actionscript in Action

This is a book for those of us who believed that we didn’t need to learn Perl, and now we know it is more ubiquitous than ever. Perl is extremely flexible and powerful, and it isn’t afraid of Web 2.0 or the cloud. Originally touted as the duct tape of the Internet, Perl has since evolved into a multipurpose, multiplatform language present absolutely everywhere: heavy-duty web applications, the cloud, systems administration, natural language processing, and financial engineering. Beginning Perl, Third Edition provides valuable insight into Perl’s role regarding all of these tasks and more. Commencing with a comprehensive overview of language basics, you’ll learn all about important concepts such as Perl’s data types and control flow constructs. This material sets the stage for a discussion of more complex topics, such as writing custom functions, using regular expressions, and file input and output. Next, the book moves on to the advanced topics of object-oriented programming, modules, web programming, and database administration with Perl’s powerful database interface module, DBI. The examples and code provided offer you all of the information you need to start writing your own powerful scripts to solve the problems listed above, and many more. Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced programmer, Beginning Perl, Third Edition offers an ideal guide to learning Perl.

"Intermediate Perl" offers a clear roadmap for improving readers' skills and gain working knowledge of Perl's objects, references, and modules--ingredients that make the language so versatile and effective. This book offers a gentle but thorough introduction to intermediate programming in Perl.