Out of 5 Perl books, my most-used reference
Out of my fairly extensive Perl library, this is the book that sits next to my keyboard - the one that I keep "at-hand". Simple, concise, easy to find the data you are looking for .... it just "works" as a reference book.
No, you're not going to find the syntax for building and manipulating a hash of hashes, but you've got the full list of special variables, a good list of common functions, and great starting points for things like Network programming, Win32 programming, regular expressions, and more.
Definitely worth the price of entry if you are a beginner to moderate Perl programmer who doesn't code every day and frequently needs a reference.
Good Quick Reference
This book is a good quick reference. If I can't find previous code I always reach for this book when I need to get a quick syntax reference.
Very Terse
Perl Pocket Reference only gives lists and tables. No explanation of how to use the various functions, variables, etc. Definitely not for new-comers.
I was very disappointed by this pocket reference. I was expecting something more like the very high quality "Python Pocket Reference", which manages to give complete description of the language, all functions, standard modules, etc, ALONG WITH EXAMPLES FOR EACH; The Python Pocket Reference is able to be used as a standalone reference. This is definitely not true for the Perl Pocket Reference; You will need other books to make this pocket reference make sense... what a pain!
quick hints/ reminder of perl cmd
good and give me a quick review/reminder of perl commands
Buy a clue, Gerald
Gerald W. Irmler writes in his review "I also have two very large Perl books that are also almost useless, so maybe it's a Perl problem." Well yes, Perl is not an easy language, but I suspect that the main problem here is an Irmler problem. This book does a very good job of doing what it intends to. Another clue that Irmler is lacking a clue is the baffling comment that "The author seemed more interested in being clever and funny, then (sic) imparting information." Huh? The book is comprised entirely of very succinct facts about the language. There is no style here to speak of, due to the nature of the book.
I rate this book 5 stars, Irmler -5 stars.
