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PERLCOMMUNITY(1)       Perl Programmers Reference Guide       PERLCOMMUNITY(1)

NAME
       perlcommunity - a brief overview of the Perl community
DESCRIPTION
       This document aims to provide an overview of the vast perl community,
       which is far too large and diverse to provide a detailed listing. If
       any specific niche has been forgotten, it is not meant as an insult but
       an omission for the sake of brevity.
       The Perl community is as diverse as Perl, and there is a large amount
       of evidence that the Perl users apply TMTOWTDI to all endeavors, not
       just programming. From websites, to IRC, to mailing lists, there is
       more than one way to get involved in the community.
   Where to Find the Community
       There is a central directory for the Perl community: <http://perl.org>;
       maintained by the Perl Foundation (<http://www.perlfoundation.org/>;),
       which tracks and provides services for a variety of other community
       sites.
   Mailing Lists and Newsgroups
       Perl runs on e-mail; there is no doubt about it. The Camel book was
       originally written mostly over e-mail and today Perl's development is
       co-ordinated through mailing lists. The largest repository of Perl
       mailing lists is located at <http://lists.perl.org>;.
       Most Perl-related projects set up mailing lists for both users and
       contributors. If you don't see a certain project listed at
       <http://lists.perl.org>;, check the particular website for that project.
       Most mailing lists are archived at <http://nntp.perl.org/>;.
       There are also plenty of Perl related newsgroups located under
       "comp.lang.perl.*".
   IRC
       The Perl community has a rather large IRC presence. For starters, it
       has its own IRC network, <irc://irc.perl.org>;. General (not help-
       oriented) chat can be found at <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>;. Many other
       more specific chats are also hosted on the network. Information about
       irc.perl.org is located on the network's website:
       <http://www.irc.perl.org>;. For a more help-oriented #perl, check out
       <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl>;. Perl 6 development also has a presence
       in <irc://irc.freenode.net/#perl6>;. Most Perl-related channels will be
       kind enough to point you in the right direction if you ask nicely.
       Any large IRC network (Dalnet, EFnet) is also likely to have a #perl
       channel, with varying activity levels.
   Websites
       Perl websites come in a variety of forms, but they fit into two large
       categories: forums and news websites. There are many Perl-related
       websites, so only a few of the community's largest are mentioned here.
       News sites
       <http://perl.com/>;
           Run by O'Reilly Media (the publisher of the Camel Book, among other
           Perl-related literature), perl.com provides current Perl news,
           articles, and resources for Perl developers as well as a directory
           of other useful websites.
       <http://use.perl.org/>;
           use Perl; provides a slashdot-style Perl news website covering all
           things Perl, from minutes of the meetings of the Perl 6 Design team
           to conference announcements with (ir)relevant discussion.
       Forums
       <http://www.perlmonks.org/>;
           PerlMonks is one of the largest Perl forums, and describes itself
           as "A place for individuals to polish, improve, and showcase their
           Perl skills." and "A community which allows everyone to grow and
           learn from each other."
   User Groups
       Many cities around the world have local Perl Mongers chapters. A Perl
       Mongers chapter is a local user group which typically holds regular in-
       person meetings, both social and technical; helps organize local
       conferences, workshops, and hackathons; and provides a mailing list or
       other continual contact method for its members to keep in touch.
       To find your local Perl Mongers (or PM as they're commonly abbreviated)
       group check the international Perl Mongers directory at
       <http://www.pm.org/>;.
   Workshops
       Perl workshops are, as the name might suggest, workshops where Perl is
       taught in a variety of ways. At the workshops, subjects range from a
       beginner's introduction (such as the Pittsburgh Perl Workshop's "Zero
       To Perl") to much more advanced subjects.
       There are several great resources for locating workshops: the websites
       mentioned above, the calendar mentioned below, and the YAPC Europe
       website, <http://www.yapceurope.org/>;, which is probably the best
       resource for European Perl events.
   Hackathons
       Hackathons are a very different kind of gathering where Perl hackers
       gather to do just that, hack nonstop for an extended (several day)
       period on a specific project or projects. Information about hackathons
       can be located in the same place as information about workshops as well
       as in <irc://irc.perl.org/#perl>;.
       If you have never been to a hackathon, here are a few basic things you
       need to know before attending: have a working laptop and know how to
       use it; check out the involved projects beforehand; have the necessary
       version control client; and bring backup equipment (an extra LAN cable,
       additional power strips, etc.)  because someone will forget.
   Conventions
       Perl has two major annual conventions: The Perl Conference (now part of
       OSCON), put on by O'Reilly, and Yet Another Perl Conference or YAPC
       (pronounced yap-see), which is localized into several regional YAPCs
       (North America, Europe, Asia) in a stunning grassroots display by the
       Perl community. For more information about either conference, check out
       their respective web pages: OSCON <http://conferences.oreillynet.com/>;;
       YAPC <http://www.yapc.org>;.
       A relatively new conference franchise with a large Perl portion is the
       Open Source Developers Conference or OSDC. First held in Australia it
       has recently also spread to Israel and France. More information can be
       found at: <http://www.osdc.com.au/>; for Australia,
       <http://www.osdc.org.il>; for Israel, and <http://www.osdc.fr/>; for
       France.
   Calendar of Perl Events
       The Perl Review, <http://www.theperlreview.com>; maintains a website and
       Google calendar (<http://www.theperlreview.com/community_calendar>;) for
       tracking workshops, hackathons, Perl Mongers meetings, and other
       events. Views of this calendar are at <http://www.perl.org/events.html>;
       and <http://www.yapc.org>;.
       Not every event or Perl Mongers group is on that calendar, so don't
       lose heart if you don't see yours posted. To have your event or group
       listed, contact brian d foy (brian AT theperlreview.com).
AUTHOR
       Edgar "Trizor" Bering <trizor AT gmail.com>

perl v5.16.3                      2013-03-04                  PERLCOMMUNITY(1)