[Mapserver-users] Re: Perl mapscript

[Jon Shorie]

On Friday 23 May 2003 13:18, pkishor_98 wrote:
> --- In mapserver-users at yahoogroups.com, Mark Balman <Mark.Balman at b...>
>
> wrote:
> > Hi All
> >
> > I want to start using mapscript but would like to know which is the
>
> easier
>
> > for a beginner - Perl or PHP? I tried to install php mapscript but
>
> alas not
>
> > yet! although I "think" I have installed perl mapscript ok but
>
> really don't
>
> > know where to begin, can anyone point me in the right direction..
>
> 0. go with what you know. However, since you _are_ asking for
> opinions, here's mine --
>
> 1. Contrary to what folks say, Perl is NOT read only. That is the
> highest piece of nonsense I have every heard. Perl is read only ONLY
> if the person who wrote it in the first place was a lousy programmer.
> Follow good rules of programming, comment liberally, make meaningful
> variable names, and Perl will be as easy as English. Try to show off,
> or learn bad techniques, and Perl will be as bad as Cockney.
>
> 2. Perl is an easy language to learn, and like English, it is easy to
> mess up with. But, it gives you, the user, perhaps the greatest amount
> of freedom to express yourself.
>
> 3. The biggest problem with Perl/Mapscript is that it does not run on
> Windows easily (you have to run it under Cygwin -- I haven't done it,
> but I have heard folks have). If Windows is not your platform of
> choice, then Perl is definitely a very good option.
>
> 4. Perl and PHP are both well supported in Mapserver community. DM
> Solutions have done a fantastic job of providing PHP examples. There
> are enough Perl users who have put up enough helpful examples on the
> wiki... so, both are equal there.
>
> 5. Perl users are usually not totally web-oriented (this is my
> personal theory). Hence, there is usually less visual examples... Perl
> has its background in a systems management scripting language... Perl
> community will likely provide you with examples that you will then be
> expected to greatly modify. Less handholding. PHP community is very
> web-oriented. Visually appealing web-tools are more likely to be made
> in PHP. More handholding.
>
> 6. Sean Gilles had good advice on Python, which I know nothing about
> except that it is supposed to be a very good language as well (you'll
> have to worry about whitespace, though ;-). Sean also mentioned
> embperl. Here is what I have found -- Perl with HTML::Template is the
> most fantastic solution for making web applications. I am currently
> working on a fairly complicated Mapserver application that I am
> building entirely using HTML::Template. Afaik, no other language has
> anything similar to HTML::Template (remember, I said afaik). I am
> absolutely, completely taken by HTML::Template, and if you try it once
> you will understand. As soon as I have my app in a decent working
> condition, I will release various templates on the wiki.
>
> 7. Perl has CPAN. If you want to learn one language with which you
> want to do most of the work (not all, but most) on the web and behind
> it... you will come to depend on CPAN.
>
> 8. Most any program can be written in most any language. This brings
> us back to #0 above.

I too am a big fan of perl.  I have not done a huge amount of mapserver work 
with perl, but I have written a large number of web based applications that 
are written in perl.  I am currently working on an app to run our scalehouse 
for our recycle center.  It will be able to work with our backend databases 
and post data to our accounting system.

pkishor_98 is right when he says that most perl work is done in 
linux/unix/bsd/etc.  While it is possible to work with perl in windoze, it is 
not as simple.