PERLCOMMUNITY(1) Perl Programmers Reference Guide PERLCOMMUNITY(1)
NAME
perlcommunity - a brief overview of the Perl community
DESCRIPTION
This document aims to provide an overview of the vast perl community, which is far too large and diverse to
provide a detailed listing. If any specific niche has been forgotten, it is not meant as an insult but an
omission for the sake of brevity.
The Perl community is as diverse as Perl, and there is a large amount of evidence that the Perl users apply
TMTOWTDI to all endeavors, not just programming. From websites, to IRC, to mailing lists, there is more than
one way to get involved in the community.
Where to Find the Community
There is a central directory for the Perl community: <http://perl.org> maintained by the Perl Foundation
(<http://www.perlfoundation.org/>), which tracks and provides services for a variety of other community sites.
Mailing Lists and Newsgroups
Perl runs on e-mail; there is no doubt about it. The Camel book was originally written mostly over e-mail and
today Perl's development is co-ordinated through mailing lists. The largest repository of Perl mailing lists
is located at <http://lists.perl.org>.
Most Perl-related projects set up mailing lists for both users and contributors. If you don't see a certain
project listed at <http://lists.perl.org>, check the particular website for that project. Most mailing lists
are archived at <http://nntp.perl.org/>.
There are also plenty of Perl related newsgroups located under "comp.lang.perl.*".
IRC
The Perl community has a rather large IRC presence. For starters, it has its own IRC network,
<irc://irc.perl.org>. General (not help-oriented) chat can be found at <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>. Many other
more specific chats are also hosted on the network. Information about irc.perl.org is located on the network's
website: <http://www.irc.perl.org>. For a more help-oriented #perl, check out <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl>.
Perl 6 development also has a presence in <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl6>. Most Perl-related channels will be
kind enough to point you in the right direction if you ask nicely.
Any large IRC network (Dalnet, EFnet) is also likely to have a #perl channel, with varying activity levels.
Websites
Perl websites come in a variety of forms, but they fit into two large categories: forums and news websites.
There are many Perl-related websites, so only a few of the community's largest are mentioned here.
News sites
<http://perl.com/>
Run by O'Reilly Media (the publisher of the Camel Book, among other Perl-related literature), perl.com
provides current Perl news, articles, and resources for Perl developers as well as a directory of other
useful websites.
<http://use.perl.org/>
use Perl; provides a slashdot-style Perl news website covering all things Perl, from minutes of the
meetings of the Perl 6 Design team to conference announcements with (ir)relevant discussion.
Forums
<http://www.perlmonks.org/>
PerlMonks is one of the largest Perl forums, and describes itself as "A place for individuals to polish,
Workshops
Perl workshops are, as the name might suggest, workshops where Perl is taught in a variety of ways. At the
workshops, subjects range from a beginner's introduction (such as the Pittsburgh Perl Workshop's "Zero To
Perl") to much more advanced subjects.
There are several great resources for locating workshops: the websites mentioned above, the calendar mentioned
below, and the YAPC Europe website, <http://www.yapceurope.org/>, which is probably the best resource for
European Perl events.
Hackathons
Hackathons are a very different kind of gathering where Perl hackers gather to do just that, hack nonstop for
an extended (several day) period on a specific project or projects. Information about hackathons can be
located in the same place as information about workshops as well as in <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>.
If you have never been to a hackathon, here are a few basic things you need to know before attending: have a
working laptop and know how to use it; check out the involved projects beforehand; have the necessary version
control client; and bring backup equipment (an extra LAN cable, additional power strips, etc.) because
someone will forget.
Conventions
Perl has two major annual conventions: The Perl Conference (now part of OSCON), put on by O'Reilly, and Yet
Another Perl Conference or YAPC (pronounced yap-see), which is localized into several regional YAPCs (North
America, Europe, Asia) in a stunning grassroots display by the Perl community. For more information about
either conference, check out their respective web pages: OSCON <http://conferences.oreillynet.com/>; YAPC
<http://www.yapc.org>.
A relatively new conference franchise with a large Perl portion is the Open Source Developers Conference or
OSDC. First held in Australia it has recently also spread to Israel and France. More information can be found
at: <http://www.osdc.com.au/> for Australia, <http://www.osdc.org.il> for Israel, and <http://www.osdc.fr/>
for France.
Calendar of Perl Events
The Perl Review, <http://www.theperlreview.com> maintains a website and Google calendar
(<http://www.theperlreview.com/community_calendar>) for tracking workshops, hackathons, Perl Mongers meetings,
and other events. Views of this calendar are at <http://www.perl.org/events.html> and <http://www.yapc.org>.
Not every event or Perl Mongers group is on that calendar, so don't lose heart if you don't see yours posted.
To have your event or group listed, contact brian d foy ([email protected]).
AUTHOR
Edgar "Trizor" Bering <[email protected]>
perl v5.16.3 2013-03-04 PERLCOMMUNITY(1)
Back to main site | Back to man page index