LPM: Roll call ...

[Mark Hartley]

> I'd really like to know how people are using Perl in their work. I'd

I am mostly using Perl for some basic network admin tasks (on the
Solaris - Sun platform).  I have written a few fairly simple scripts 
that help me to automate some of the routine tasks I do.  Perl is 
also used for some web based scripts that we use.  I work at the 
Kentucky Cancer Registry, so we have all of the data on cases of 
cancer in Kentucky for the last 8 or so years. We use Perl to 
generate the web pages that display this data 
(http://www.kcr.uky.edu)


> also really like to know the general attitude of management towards Perl
> - whether it is accepted as a 'real' programming language, whether
> people actually know that you are running business-critical processes on
> Perl, stuff like that.

Perl is accepted as a real language in my office.  My supervisor uses 
it, as well as C to do his job.  He knows Perl much better than I do. 
 He has no problem if I use Perl for whatever I need to do.

 
> I would like to know a more about how people first "discovered" perl,
> how they developed and enhanced their proficiency, etc.

I first discovered Perl when I had something I wanted to get done at 
work.  I asked my supervisor (who is a programmer) for some hints on 
how to get done what I wanted.  He handed me his Perl (Camel) book.  
As far as becoming proficient in Perl, that hasn't happened for me 
yet, mostly due to a lack of time and a lack of a need for Perl 
programming in my job.


Mark.
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Mark Hartley
Systems Analyst/Programmer
Kentucky Cancer Registry - Markey Cancer Center
markh at delos.kcr.uky.edu
Phone: (606)257-7182   Fax: (606)323-4787
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