Mapscript mystery???

[aborruso at spaziogis.it]

Dear all,
I would like to learn mapscript scripting interface for Mapserver, but I
don't know absolutely which should be the starting point. Does the
mapscript scripts must put in html file and saved as .pl to work? Does
mapscript work with MapServer CGI application under winNT? If no, how can I
use mapscript under winNT? Does exist a mapscript tutorial? What simple
example I could run on my pc to test mapscript?
It's a mistery for me. Excuse me for my ignorance.
Thank you,

Andrea