[JaxPM] perl documentation

[Nate]

On the jacksonville-pm-list; Jax.PM'er Nate <nate at netimages.com> wrote -

I've been wondering lately if there is a very big difference between the
online documentation for perl and the O'Reilly books.

The O'Reilly books are fantastic, and they are the reason that I haven't
had to come to the list much for help. I have a quick reference (Perl in a
Nutshell), an in-depth tutorial on the most commonly used aspects of the
language (Learning Perl), an in-depth language reference (Camel book), and
a handy guide to help me start a new project in the right direction 
(Cookbook).

The funny thing is, the other day I looked up some information on perl
formats, and I saw the exact same info in the Camel and in the online
docs. I mean EXACTLY.

I haven't had the time to look up a bunch of other things to see how
similar they are, but I suspect that since Tom C. wrote most of the
perl online docs (or so I've heard) along with Larry and Randal that they
would be quite similar overall.

What is the take of the more seasoned perl-mongers on the list? Would you
say that a novice should just buy Learning Perl and rely on the online
docs from there, and save some bread? There is the obvious advantage of
being able to read a book on the bus or train or in bed, but aside from
that, are the online docs just as good?

Bill, I hope this isn't off topic.

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nate at netimages.com	   Nate Campi                  nate at campin.net
Tel: 408.919.1300      	Net Images, Inc.             Fax: 408.919.1307
www.netimages.com    Unix System Administration	  www.campin.net/~nate
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