perl is an open
source scripting language that works on all popular platforms. It
is an offspring of, among other things, the language called C.
perl interacts
between the browser and the database. It is the language that conducts
the database queries on behalf of the user. For example, if a manager
wants to know all about order #148, she enters this in the appropriate
field on her screen and perl effectively processes the request. Perl
goes to the database, gets the information about the correct order,
and presents it on the browser for the user to see; this is called
scripting.
mod_perl is an
excellent example of the advantages of open source programming. There
is only one definitive drawback to using perl: while it is fast, it
is not fast enough. Since both Apache and perl are open source, an
intrepid programmer was able to integrate the two into something called
mod_perl. The result is the fastest scripting ability available on
any popular operating system.
(The following
was lifted from the offical mod_perl website)
The Apache/Perl integration project brings together the full power
of the Perl programming language and the Apache HTTP server.
With mod_perl it is possible to write Apache modules entirely in Perl.
In addition, the persistent interpreter embedded in the server avoids
the overhead of starting an external interpreter and the penalty of
Perl start-up time.
