Lesson 1
Perl and CGI Programming using Perl
This module is about Perl and the features that are of particular value to CGI programming. In this module you will learn:
After you complete this module you will be able to use the features of Perl that are most important to working with Web-based data. That is not to say that you'll be a wizard with regular expressions or complex aggregate data structures, but you should be able to use them effectively and know where to go for more information if you need it.
- Why Perl is well suited for Web programming
- How to use regular expressions
- How to use lists and hashes
- How to create and use complex data structures
After you complete this module you will be able to use the features of Perl that are most important to working with Web-based data. That is not to say that you'll be a wizard with regular expressions or complex aggregate data structures, but you should be able to use them effectively and know where to go for more information if you need it.
Perl Language evolution with respect to Web Programming
Perl's evolution in the context of web programming has been quite significant, especially during the mid to late 1990s when it was almost synonymous with the dynamic web. Originally developed in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language, Perl gained widespread popularity in the 1990s as a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripting language, mainly due to its powerful text-processing and string parsing abilities. This made it an ideal choice for writing scripts that could connect a website to a database, handle form data sent by users, and create familiar web elements like hit counters and guestbooks.
The relationship between Perl and the dynamic web goes beyond its use in CGI scripting. The language played a key role in the early development of web technologies and standards. Perl's flexibility and power made it a "Swiss Army Chainsaw" for web programming, capable of driving various web applications from large directories to early platforms for user-generated content. The period between the appearance of the first website in the early 1990s and the development of CGI scripts saw many innovations and discussions about the potential uses of the web, and Perl was a crucial part of this pioneering phase. Perl's influence in web programming has seen shifts over time. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, other scripting languages began to emerge and gain popularity for web development tasks. However, the legacy of Perl in web programming remains significant, particularly in its contribution to the early development of web technologies and standards, as well as its continued use in specific domains.
The relationship between Perl and the dynamic web goes beyond its use in CGI scripting. The language played a key role in the early development of web technologies and standards. Perl's flexibility and power made it a "Swiss Army Chainsaw" for web programming, capable of driving various web applications from large directories to early platforms for user-generated content. The period between the appearance of the first website in the early 1990s and the development of CGI scripts saw many innovations and discussions about the potential uses of the web, and Perl was a crucial part of this pioneering phase. Perl's influence in web programming has seen shifts over time. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, other scripting languages began to emerge and gain popularity for web development tasks. However, the legacy of Perl in web programming remains significant, particularly in its contribution to the early development of web technologies and standards, as well as its continued use in specific domains.
Perl and Bioinformatics
Biological data is proliferating rapidly. Public databases such as GenBank and the Protein Data Bank have been growing exponentially for some time now. With the advent of the World Wide Web and fast Internet connections, the data contained in these databases and many special-purpose programs can be accessed quickly, easily, and cheaply from any location in the world. As a consequence, computer-based tools now play an increasingly critical role in the advancement of biological research.
Bioinformatics, a rapidly evolving discipline, is the application of computational tools and techniques to the management and analysis of biological data. The term bioinformatics as defined here makes use of terms such as "computational biology" and Statistics. The use of computers in biology research predates the term bioinformatics by many years. For example, the determination of 3D protein structure from X-ray crystallographic data has long relied on computer analysis. In this course I refer to the use of computers in biological research as bioinformatics. It is important to be aware, however, that others may make different distinctions between the terms. In particular, bioinformatics is often the term used when referring to the data and the techniques used in large-scale sequencing and analysis of entire genomes, such as Arabidopsis, and Homo sapiens.
Bioinformatics, a rapidly evolving discipline, is the application of computational tools and techniques to the management and analysis of biological data. The term bioinformatics as defined here makes use of terms such as "computational biology" and Statistics. The use of computers in biology research predates the term bioinformatics by many years. For example, the determination of 3D protein structure from X-ray crystallographic data has long relied on computer analysis. In this course I refer to the use of computers in biological research as bioinformatics. It is important to be aware, however, that others may make different distinctions between the terms. In particular, bioinformatics is often the term used when referring to the data and the techniques used in large-scale sequencing and analysis of entire genomes, such as Arabidopsis, and Homo sapiens.