Robert Ward Cutler on the Convenience and Uses of

PERL

What is PERL?

PERL is a scripting language for software developed by Larry Wall in 1987.

Its syntax is based on features of other languages with the goal of imposing the fewest possible restrictions on the programmer.

Some call it the system administrator’s best friend because it can make common tasks, like database interface, text processing, and application development, easier.

It also has excellent applications in bioinformatics.

What can it do?

PERL also coordinates well with other programming languages like Java, C++, and PHP.

Modules are available to allow programmers to write in these languages within the PERL script.

While program execution in PERL sometimes takes longer than those in other languages, the speed of modern computers typically means this is not a problem.

Besides, PERL’s ease of use offsets any issue with computing time.

About Robert Ward Cutler:

An experienced PERL developer, Robert Ward Cutler received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Vanderbilt University. In 2003, Dr. Cutler was a Fulbright Research and Teaching Fellow at Thailand’s Chiang Mai University in Thailand. He later spent two years in Thailand as a Research Associate at the same institution.