You can write and run Perl 6 code today. Implementation of the Parrot-based Perl 6 compiler (Rakudo) is proceeding rapidly and it can already run a wide range of Perl 6 programs. Applications are already being implemented in Perl 6 and within the next 12 months the Rakudo compiler is likely to be ready for general development work.
Perl 6 will be a major improvement on Perl 5 in many ways: syntactically, semantically, pragmatically, and philosophically. This full- or two-day class surveys the most important features of Perl 6, demonstrating many of the new programming techniques those features make possible. Every demonstration will use live code, executed via Rakudo. Topics covered will include:
- Rationalized syntax and semantics
- Changes and additions to operators
- New data types: Pairs, Junctions, and Captures
- New control structures
- The Perl 6 (optional) type system
- Pattern matching and parsing in Perl 6
- Subroutines
- Object oriented features
Note that attendees may wish to pre-install the Rakudo compiler on their own laptops, in order to experiment with the various code examples themselves during or after the class. Instructions for installing Rakudo are available at http://rakudo.org/how-to-get- rakudo, and the installation process will also be discussed during the class.
1 or 2 day seminar
Perl programmers from all disciplines who are familiar with the basics of Perl's control flow, string handling, and simple data structures (scalars, arrays, hashes).