Press Release 840 Published by

A press release from No Starch Press:

Popular Wicked Cool Book Series Tackles Perl Scripts: New book takes Perl programming to the extreme

San Francisco, CA--You can do a lot of strange and wonderful things with the Perl language if you know how. "Wicked Cool Perl Scripts: Useful Perl Scripts That Solve Difficult Problems" (No Starch Press, February 2006) is for the Perl programmer who wants to learn the in's and out's as well as the hidden corners of the language.



Most Perl programmers have been frustrated at one time or another because they just couldn't get Perl to do what they wanted it to do. One simple and obvious utility was missing that would make life so much easier: A tool to get a stock quote, show off a photograph collection, or even display a collection of favorite comics. "Wicked Cool Perl Scripts" shows how to write those utilities quickly and easily. It includes simple and elegant hacks (such as the magic help option) as well as some extreme examples of power programming (a regular expression grapher) and, of course, the extremely useful (an interactive topological map of any place in the United States).

Author Steve Oualline, a longtime programmer and tech writer, speaks to the intelligent Perl programmer in "Wicked Cool Perl Scripts"and doesn't waste time with lessons geared toward dummies. While the book covers aspects of the Perl language and its functionality that readers probably aren't aware of, Oualline explains the practical applications for his brand of "extreme programming" too. Programmers will find that "Wicked Cool Perl Scripts" entertains and educates in equal measure.

To qualify as "wicked cool," a Perl script must solve a real-world problem, and it must be cool. Many of the scripts in this book have been used in the field in one form or other. Cool scripts are ones that solve difficult problems (the more difficult, the better), and if the solution turns out to be simple and elegant, it's even cooler.

"This book is in the Wicked Cool series because it's designed for real world Perl programmers who not only want to use the language to do real work, but also want to produce really wicked and cool programs," said Bill Pollock, founder of No Starch Press. "It's perfect for the smart geek reader who enjoys challenges and getting creative with his code while still being productive. And if you're from the Boston area you'll love it even more. Of course, I'm originally from New York."

A collection of handy utilities that solve difficult problems, "Wicked Cool Perl Scripts" is a great resource for the savvy Perl programmer.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steve Oualline has been a programmer for 35 years. He is the author of many bestselling computer books, including How Not To Program in C++ (No Starch Press), Practical C Programming (O'Reilly), and Practical C++ Programming (O'Reilly).


Wicked Cool Perl Scripts
Steve Oualline
February 2006, 336 pp., $29.95, ISBN 1-59327-062-3
Available at fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or
directly from No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com,
800.420.7240).


ABOUT NO STARCH PRESS: Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment-unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, and alternative operating systems. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See www.nostarch.com for more. (And by the way, most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won't snap shut.)

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