Perl by Example (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: An okay book. Not to be confused with "Perl 5 By Example."
Review: After picking up a copy of this book after having read glowing reviews of "Perl 5 By Example," I realized I'd purchased a completely different volume. After my initial anger at my carelessness that two books would share such similar titles, I started reading and found it's actually not so terrible. The biggest problem for Perl initiates will be the occasional referencing of features that aren't explained until later chapters. The author seems to assume User knowledge of UNIX commands, though that wasn't much of a hinderance. Overall, I think my good feelings about the experience are more related to Perl than about the book. Just be aware if someone recommends "Perl by Example" that they may be talking about "Perl 5 by Example." One of the publishers needs to change this in the next release.

Rating:
Summary: not bad, but there are better introductions out there
Review: As a programmer experienced with Java and C, I needed to learn PERL for a new project. I started out with this book and I'm finding it acceptable, but not great. It certainly has enough examples, but the actual presentation of the language was lacking. It relies far too heavily on examples for me, and reading through hundreds of examples has turned out to be a frustrating and difficult way to learn. I think I'm going to try a different book and hope for something better.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing to get excited about
Review: As a programmer experienced with Java and C, I needed to learn PERL for a new project. I started out with this book and I'm finding it acceptable, but not great. It certainly has enough examples, but the actual presentation of the language was lacking. It relies far too heavily on examples for me, and reading through hundreds of examples has turned out to be a frustrating and difficult way to learn. I think I'm going to try a different book and hope for something better.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for Perl beginners
Review: As an experienced programmer, I first tried to learn Perl by reading the Camel book (1st edition), but found it tough going. This book practically 'holds your hand' by guiding you through the fundumentals with simple examples and explanations. As a beginners book I'm sure its as good as any other on the market. I still use it as a reference. The turorial on the included CD Rom didn't add much value though - poor sound quality and pretty boring.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for those who learn best by actual, clear examples
Review: As someone who learns best by seeing and doing rather than reading abstract theory and explanation, this book is a God-send! Each example is broken down line by line with clear explanations so you can understand exactly what each programming element does. It's the first book to really show me a tangible example of object-oriented Perl that isn't easier as a standard subroutine. This is not a cookbook, but clarifies many programming language features that the Camel book discusses on a "more elevated" plane. If you read advanced programming language code for fun and didn't get lost anywhere in the Camel book, this approach may bore you. But if you're wanting to fill in all the holes from kludging together all those scripts by Matt Wright, this is for you! Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Perl by Example by Ellie Quigley
Review: Ellie Quigley delivers again. Her latest version of Perl by Example has been completely updated to include the latest features of the most fun programming language in existence. The new format is even easier to read than before. Anyone programming in a Linux environment will be particularly impressed with her treatment of Linux shells. As in previous books, Quigley's examples are always short and to the point. She explains each and every line of code in her examples leaving nothing to the imagination. I've been teaching Perl at the corporate and college level for four years, and would recommend this book over all others to people who are trying to learn the language for the first time, or to those who just want a complete reference at their side. This book's a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Examples work
Review: Ellie Quigley has written an outstanding introduction to Perl, which I used to learn the language from scratch. All one has to do is work through her examples, putz around with them, and before long, you're relatively proficient at using the language. Even though I've graduated to using Programming Perl by Wall et al, I still find Quigley's book a most useful reference.

Rating:
Summary: The best PERL reference on the market
Review: Having studied other perl books, I can confidently say that this is the most clear resource I've seen to date--especially with respect to perl functions. Most examples are good. One drawback is that there are no exercises or problems to solve.

Rating:
Summary: Better than O'Reilly's Books.
Review: I believe that this book is a wonderful reference for Perl programers of all levels. The Detailed Index in the back makes it easy to look up the exact subject. Many details not discussed in the O'Reilly books have examples here.

Rating:
Summary: good examples
Review: I don't mind the references to awk & sed.
2nd edition's editing was spotty.