Many programmers code by instinct, relying on convenient
habits or a
"style" they picked up early on. They aren't conscious of
all the
choices they make, like how they format their source, the
names they use
for variables, or the kinds of loops they use. They're
focused entirely
on problems they're solving, solutions they're creating, and
algorithms
they're implementing. So they write code in the way that
seems natural,
that happens intuitively, and that feels good.
But if you're serious about your profession, intuition isn't
enough.
Perl Best Practices author Damian
Conway explains that rules,
conventions, standards, and practices not only help
programmers
communicate and coordinate with one another, they also
provide a
reliable framework for thinking about problems, and a common
language
for expressing solutions. This is especially critical in
Perl, because
the language is designed to offer many ways to accomplish
the same task,
and consequently it supports many incompatible
dialects.
With a good dose of Aussie humor, Dr. Conway (familiar to
many in the
Perl community) offers 256 guidelines on the art of coding
to help you
write better Perl code--in fact, the best Perl code you
possibly can.
The guidelines cover code layout, naming conventions, choice
of data and
control structures, program decomposition, interface design
and
implementation, modularity, object orientation, error
handling, testing,
and debugging.
They're designed to work together to produce code that is
clear, robust,
efficient, maintainable, and concise, but Dr. Conway doesn't
pretend
that this is the one true universal and unequivocal set of
best
practices. Instead, Perl Best Practices
offers coherent and widely
applicable suggestions based on real-world experience of how
code is
actually written, rather than on someone's ivory-tower
theories on how
software ought to be created.
Most of all, Perl Best Practices offers
guidelines that actually work,
and that many developers around the world are already using.
Much like
Perl itself, these guidelines are about helping you to get
your job
done, without getting in the way.
Praise for Perl Best Practices from
Perl community members:
"As a manager of a large Perl project, I'd ensure that every
member of my team has a copy of Perl Best
Practices on their desk, and use it as the basis
for an in-house style guide." -- Randal Schwartz
"There are no more excuses for writing bad Perl programs.
All levels of Perl programmer will be more productive after
reading this book." -- Peter Scott
"Perl Best Practices will be the next
big important book in the evolution of Perl. The ideas and
practices Damian lays down will help bring Perl out from
under the embarrassing heading of "scripting languages".
Many of us have known Perl is a real programming language,
worthy of all the tasks normally delegated to Java and C++.
With Perl Best Practices, Damian shows specifically how and
why, so everyone else can see, too." -- Andy Lester
"Damian's done what many thought impossible: show how to
build large, maintainable Perl applications, while still
letting Perl be the powerful, expressive language that
programmers have loved for years." -- Bill Odom
"Finally, a means to bring lasting order to the process and
product of real Perl development teams." -- Andrew
Sundstrom
"Perl Best Practices provides a
valuable education in how to write robust, maintainable
Perl, and is a definitive citation source when coaching
other programmers." -- Bennett Todd
"I've been teaching Perl for years, and find the same
question keeps being asked: Where can I find a reference for
writing reusable, maintainable Perl code? Finally I have a
decent answer." -- Paul Fenwick
"At last a well researched, well thought-out, comprehensive
guide to Perl style. Instead of each of us developing our
own, we can learn good practices from one of Perl's most
prolific and experienced authors. I recommend this book to
anyone who prefers getting on with the job rather than going
back and fixing errors caused by syntax and poor style
issues." -- Jacinta Richardson
"If you care about programming in any language read this
book. Even if you don't intend to follow all of the
practices, thinking through your style will improve it." --
Steven Lembark
"The Perl community's best author is back with another
outstanding book. There has never been a comprehensive
reference on high quality Perl coding and style until
Perl Best Practices. This book fills a
large gap in every Perl bookshelf." -- Uri Guttman |