"The script below defines an array with the U.S. State names, instantiates MapPoint, and loops through the array saving a map for each state. Regular readers will recogize this as being very similar to the Automating MapPoint with the .NET SDK article published last year which basically accomplishes the same thing with the free VB .NET compiler found in the .NET SDK."

Perl, PHP, and Python are used in many software projects today due to their flexibility, simplicity, portability and extensibility. To help you gain a better understanding of their popularity with Open Source developers, this article takes you through a tour of the important features and functions of Perl and Python. Using these language extensions in combination with IBM's® DB2® database and with Web services provided through the Google APIs, they build a client and server-side application in both Perl and Python.

Perl, one of the most popular scripting languages, is expected to get a massive upgrade when Perl 6 is unveiled from its original author, Larry Wall. This is a brief discussion on what improvements and new features to expect for Perl 6.

Although there are many excellent Perl modules dealing with many aspects of XML (among which a good dozen offer various ways of transforming XML documents), the languages that seem to be favored by XML developers are Java, C/C++, and maybe even Python. For example, questions on the XML-DEV list mostly involve Java, C++, and XSLT. Sun, IBM, and Microsoft all push Java or C++ implementations. Perl, the choice of many for programming on the Web, lags behind Java and C++ in the XML popularity contest. Michel Rodriguez shares his opinions on what's wrong, and what could be done about it.