Member Avatar for qaokpl

I'am trying to build a website and I want to make some things auto mated. I only know html nothing else. A freind of mine make a site similer to what I'am doing but used perl. I want to know more and I can't tlak to this guy anymore.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by ghostdog74

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A practical path from “I only know HTML” to a safe, maintainable Perl-powered site — plus a few up-to-date notes tied to points already in the thread. wanted automated pages; correctly flagged the learning curve and security concerns, and was right that the basics are approachable. The shortest, safest route is: learn core Perl concepts first, practise small scripts locally, then move to a modern web layer (not raw CGI) when you understand input validation and deployment trade‑offs. (perldoc.perl.org)

Start-by-step plan to make measurable progress:

  1. Read the official beginner intro (perlintro) and follow a short modern guide to Perl style — these teach idiomatic Perl rather than old patterns. (perldoc.perl.org)

  2. Install a working Perl: use Strawberry Perl on Windows or the system Perl on UNIX/macOS (or a managed perlbrew setup) so you can run scripts locally and perldoc. (strawberryperl.com)

  3. Practice tiny, useful scripts (file parsing, form-handling prototypes). Always start files with use strict; use warnings; and write small tests. Learn to find and reuse CPAN modules rather than reimplementing functionality. (metacpan.org)

  4. When you move to web pages, prefer PSGI/Plack and a modern framework (Mojolicious or Dancer) over raw CGI. CGI has been removed from Perl’s core and is considered legacy for modern web apps. Use a Plack-based workflow for local testing and safer deployment. (perldoc.perl.org)

Security and deployment notes (echoing ): follow the Perl security guide, run tests, enable taint checks for server-side scripts, and avoid executing unvalidated input. For web apps, framework routing + templating + prepared DB queries reduce common mistakes; read the security docs before putting anything live. (perldoc.perl.org)

Taken together, this approach turns the initial HTML-only skillset into repeatable progress: learn the language fundamentals, use community modules, prefer modern web stacks, and treat security/testing as first-class steps.

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Member Avatar for KevinADC

Learing perl will take a big investment in your time and possibly energy. Its not a simple tool like html code, its a full blown programming language. You can start learning some basics but programming a site that is interactive using CGI scripts is not something will accomplish in the near future unless you are a really quick learner or have lots of time to dedicate to it.

You can start here:

http://www.perlmonks.com/index.pl?node=Tutorials

Member Avatar for jephthah

i kind of disagree.... i think that perl has a pretty easy learning curve, at least for the basic stuff like console applications and web scripts.

yeah, the more complex things gets difficult, but getting started with basics is fairly easy as far as languages go.

try this site: http://learn.perl.org/

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Member Avatar for KevinADC

If a person has some programming background then they might pick perl up pretty quickly, but don't underestimate CGI script programming. CGI is a very insecure environment to run programs in and writing secure CGI code is something most amatuers really should not be doing. If a person has no programming background at all, and html code does not count as programming, they will be in for a bit of culture shock. Nuff said, all opinions respected. :)

Member Avatar for ghostdog74

you can learn the basics of Perl first. One of the many good sources is straight from the doc. type perldoc perl for more info. otherwise, you can always view online Perl doc with your browser. After you are proficient with it, you can play with web frameworks, such as Catalyst. I would suggest not to go into CGI as its "outdated" technology.
On a side note, one of the easiest ways to do web programming is PHP. you may also want to take a look.

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