[MacPerl] Hello

[Mark Day <mday@apple.com>]

Hi,

Now that I've actually had a chance to use MacPerl for something useful 
(not just experimenting), I thought I'd say hello and answer those 
questions Matthias asks in the welcome message for this list.

>- How you learned about the existence of MacPerl

>From the MACSCRPT list, I believe.  (I had previously heard about Perl 
from coworkers).

>- Whether you received your copy by ftp or by CD

Via FTP from one of the CPAN mirrors.

>- Whether you are using the MPW tool or the application

Both.

>- what you are planning to use Perl for

My first real-world use was to analyze a bunch of data collected by a 
separate C program.  Perl's ability to easily deal with file containing 
packed binary data was key.  The ability to easily tweak the script to 
massage the data in different ways was important, too.  In this case, I 
used the MPW tool since I had to run it over many data files in different 
directories.

My second real use is as a test tool(!).  I've been making some bug fixes 
and enhancements to the File Manager, and MacPerl was a really easy way 
to write quick bring-up tests before my code was ready for more complete 
regression testing using specialized tools.  In this case, I used the 
MacPerl application.  Having documents that automatically run their 
scripts when opened was a real convenience.

--
Mark Day, mday@apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc.