Text Files

The first type of file that every programmer writes to and reads from is an ASCII text file. A text file is a kind of computer file that is structured as a sequence of lines. Each line is terminated with a special character such as a line feed (LF) in UNIX or a carriage return (CR) and line feed (LF) in MS DOS. One special type of text file is called a Comma Seperated Value (CSV) file. CSV is a delimited data format that has fields/columns separated by the comma…

Why use PERL?

PERL was originally written by Larry Wall while he was working at NASA’s jet prepulsion laboratories. It’s syntax is a combination of many different languages. While PERL is not a acryonymn, one of Larry’s favorites is ‘Pratical Extraction and Reporting Language’. The first version of PERL was release in December, 1987. Getting to the main question, ‘Why use PERL?’. Here are a few reasons why people use the language. It’s free! The PERL language can be installed on any UNIX box for free. The community version of Active State Perl…