1PERLCOMMUNITY(1) Perl Programmers Reference Guide PERLCOMMUNITY(1)
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6 perlcommunity - a brief overview of the Perl community
7
9 This document aims to provide an overview of the vast perl community,
10 which is far too large and diverse to provide a detailed listing. If
11 any specific niche has been forgotten, it is not meant as an insult but
12 an omission for the sake of brevity.
13 The Perl community is as diverse as Perl, and there is a large amount
15 of evidence that the Perl users apply TMTOWTDI to all endeavors, not
16 just programming. From websites, to IRC, to mailing lists, there is
17 more than one way to get involved in the community.
18 Where to find the community
20 There is a central directory for the Perl community: <http://perl.org>
21 maintained by the Perl Foundation (<http://www.perlfoundation.org/>),
22 which tracks and provides services for a variety of other community
23 sites.
24 Mailing lists and Newsgroups
26 Perl runs on e-mail, there is no doubt about it. The Camel book was
27 originally written mostly over e-mail and today Perl's development is
28 co-ordinated through mailing lists. The largest repository of Perl
29 mailing lists is located at <http://lists.perl.org>.
30 Most Perl-related projects set up mailing lists for both users and
32 contributors. If you don't see a certain project listed at
33 <http://lists.perl.org>, check the particular website for that project.
34 Most mailing lists are archived at <http://nntp.perl.org/>.
35 There are also plenty of Perl related newsgroups located under
37 "comp.lang.perl.*".
38 IRC
40 The Perl community has a rather large IRC presence. For starters, it
41 has its own IRC network, <irc://irc.perl.org>. General (not help-
42 oriented) chat can be found at <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>. Many other
43 more specific chats are also hosted on the network. Information about
44 irc.perl.org is located on the network's website:
45 <http://www.irc.perl.org>. For a more help oriented #perl, check out
46 <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl>. Perl 6 development also has a presence
47 in <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl6>. Most Perl-related channels will be
48 kind enough to point you in the right direction if you ask nicely.
49 Any large IRC network (Dalnet, EFnet) is also likely to have a #perl
51 channel, with varying activity levels.
52 Websites
54 Perl websites come in a variety of forms, but they fit into two large
55 categories: forums and news websites. There are many Perl related
56 websites, so only a few of the community's largest are mentioned here.
57 News sites
59 <http://perl.com/>
61 Run by O'Reilly Media (The publisher of the Camel Book among other
62 Perl-related literature), perl.com provides current Perl news,
63 articles, and resources for Perl developers as well as a directory
64 of other useful websites.
65 <http://use.perl.org/>
67 use Perl; provides a slashdot-style Perl news website covering all
68 things Perl, from minutes of the meetings of the Perl 6 Design team
69 to conference announcements with (ir)relevant discussion.
70 Forums
72 <http://www.perlmonks.org/>
74 PerlMonks is one of the largest Perl forums, and describes itself
75 as "A place for individuals to polish, improve, and showcase their
76 Perl skills." and "A community which allows everyone to grow and
77 learn from each other."
78 User Groups
80 Many cities around the world have local Perl Mongers chapters. A Perl
81 Mongers chapter is a local user group which typically holds regular in-
82 person meetings, both social and technical; helps organize local
83 conferences, workshops, and hackathons; and provides a mailing list or
84 other continual contact method for its members to keep in touch.
85 To find your local Perl Mongers (or PM as they're commonly abbreviated)
87 group check the international Perl Mongers directory at
88 <http://www.pm.org/>.
89 Workshops
91 Perl workshops are, as the name might suggest, workshops where Perl is
92 taught in a variety of ways. At the workshops, subjects range from a
93 beginner's introduction (such as the Pittsburgh Perl Workshop's "Zero
94 To Perl") to much more advanced subjects.
95 There are several great resources for locating workshops: the websites
97 mentioned above, the calendar mentioned below, and the YAPC Europe
98 website, <http://www.yapceurope.org/>, which is probably the best
99 resource for European Perl events.
100 Hackathons
102 Hackathons are a very different kind of gathering where Perl hackers
103 gather to do just that, hack nonstop for an extended (several day)
104 period on a specific project or projects. Information about hackathons
105 can be located in the same place as information about workshops as well
106 as in <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>.
107 If you have never been to a hackathon, here are a few basic things you
109 need to know before attending: have a working laptop and know how to
110 use it; check out the involved projects before hand; have the necessary
111 version control client; and bring backup equipment (an extra LAN cable,
112 additional power strips, etc.) because someone will forget.
113 Conventions
115 Perl has two major annual conventions: The Perl Conference (now part of
116 OSCON), put on by O'Reilly, and Yet Another Perl Conference or YAPC
117 (pronounced yap-see), which is localized into several regional YAPCs
118 (North America, Europe, Asia) in a stunning grassroots display by the
119 Perl community. For more information about either conference, check out
120 their respective web pages: OSCON <http://conferences.oreillynet.com/>;
121 YAPC <http://www.yapc.org>.
122 A relatively new conference franchise with a large Perl portion is the
124 Open Source Developers Conference or OSDC. First held in Australia it
125 has recently also spread to Israel. More information can be found at:
126 <http://www.osdc.com.au/> for Australia, and <http://www.osdc.org.il>
127 for Israel.
128 Calendar of Perl Events
130 The Perl Review, <http://www.theperlreview.com> maintains a website and
131 Google calendar (<http://www.theperlreview.com/community_calendar>) for
132 tracking workshops, hackathons, Perl Mongers meetings, and other
133 events. Views of this calendar are at <http://www.perl.org/events.html>
134 and <http://www.yapc.org>.
135 Not every event or Perl Mongers group is on that calendar, so don't
137 lose heart if you don't see yours posted. To have your event or group
138 listed, contact brian d foy (brian@theperlreview.com).
139
141 Edgar "Trizor" Bering <trizor@gmail.com>
142perl v5.10.1 2009-04-11 PERLCOMMUNITY(1)