Subject: comp.lang.perl The Perl 5 Module List (Reusable Software)
From: Tim Bunce <[email-masked]>
Date: 11 Jun 1995 02:48:15 +0100
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl.announce,comp.answers,news.answers

Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: perl-faq/module-list

The Perl 5 Module List                        Maintained by Tim Bunce
----------------------                        <[email-masked]>
                                              $Revision: 2.8 $
Contents                                      $Date: 1995/06/06 09:25:01 $

     Introduction
     Playing Your Part
     How To Get an More Recent Copy
     Editorial Information

Part 1 - Modules: Creation, Use and Abuse

1)   Perl 5 Module Terminology
2)   Guidelines for Module Creation
3)   Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules
4)   Guidelines for Reusing Application Code

Part 2 - The Perl 5 Module List

1)   Module Listing Format
2)   Perl Core Modules and Perl Language Extensions
3) ! Development Support
4)   Operating System Interfaces
5)   Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication
6)   Data Types and Data Type Utilities
7)   Database Interfaces
8)   User Interfaces
9)   Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages
10)  File Names, File Systems, File Locking and File Handles
11)! Text Processing, Parsing and Searching
12)  Option, Argument and Parameter Processing
13)  Internationalization and Locale
14)  Security and Encryption
15)  World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME
16)  Server and Daemon Utilities
17)  Archiving and Compression
18)! Image, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing and Graphing
19)! Mail and Usenet News
20)! Miscellaneous Modules

Part 3 - Big Projects Registry

1)   Introduction
2)   Perl Compiler
3)   Safe Perl
4)   Multi-threading
5)   Object Management Group Interface Definition Language

Part 4 - Who's Who and What's Where

1)   Information / Contact Reference Details
2)   Perl Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Files 
3)   Perl Archives

Key: '+' indicates a new item or section,
     '!' indicates a changed item or section.

=======================================================================

Introduction

This document is a semi-formal list of Perl 5 Modules. The Perl 4
concept of packages has been extended in Perl 5 and a new standardised
form of reusable software component has been defined: the Module.

Perl 5 Modules typically conform to certain guidelines which make them
easier to use, reuse, integrate and extend.

This list will posted to comp.lang.perl.announce and comp.answers on a
semi-regular basis.  It has two key aims:

 1. FOR DEVELOPERS: To change duplication of effort into cooperation.

 2. FOR USERS: To quickly locate existing software which can be reused.

This list includes the Perl 5 standard modules, other completed modules,
work-in-progress modules and would-be-nice-to-have ideas for modules.
It also includes guidelines for those wishing to create new modules
including how to name them.

Playing Your Part

Perl is a huge collaborative effort. Everyone who uses perl is
benefiting from the contributions of many hundreds, maybe thousands, of
people. How much time has perl saved you since you started using it?

Do you have any modules you could share with others?  For example, you
may have some perl4 scripts from which generally useful, and reusable,
modules could be extracted.  There may be many people who would find
your work very useful.  Please play you part and contribute to the Perl
community where you can. [ end of sermon :-]

Help save the world! Please submit new entries and updates to me so I
can keep this list up-to-date. I would prefer changes to be submitted
as context diff's (or just plain diff if your diff does not have a
context diff option) by email to [email-masked]. No tabs please.

How To Get a More Recent Copy

This Module List is posted to comp.lang.perl.announce, comp.answers and
news.answers bi-weekly with a long expiry time (over a month). The
first place to look for a more recent copy is therefore your own Usenet
spool area.

You should be able to get a copy from one of these places:
  ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/perl/db/mod/module-list.txt
  ftp://ftp.icnet.uk/icrf-public/biu/perlmods/modules.list
  ftp://ftp.wpi.edu/perl5/Modules/module_list.txt
(please let me know about any others)

Editorial Information

This document is Copyright (c) 1995 by Tim Bunce. All rights reserved.
Permission to distribute this document, in full or part, via electronic
means (emailed, posted or archived) or printed copy is granted
providing that no charges are involved, reasonable attempt is made to
use the most current version, and all credits and copyright notices are
retained.  Requests for other distribution rights, including
incorporation in commercial products, such as books, magazine articles,
or CD-ROMs should be made to [email-masked].

Disclaimer: The content of this document is simply a collection of
information gathered from many sources with little or no checking.
There are NO warranties with regard to this information or its use.

=======================================================================

        Part 1 - Modules: Creation, Use and Abuse
        =========================================

1) Perl 5 Module Terminology (a larry-terminology-mini-tutorial)
   -------------------------

Perl 5 implements a class using a package, but the presence of a
package doesn't imply the presence of a class.  A package is just a
namespace.  A class is a package that provides subroutines that can be
used as methods.  A method is just a subroutine that expects, as its
first argument, either the name of a package (for "static" methods),
or a reference to something (for "virtual" methods).

A module is a file that (by convention) provides a class of the same
name (sans the .pm), plus an import method in that class that can be
called to fetch exported symbols.  This module may implement some of
its methods by loading dynamic C or C++ objects, but that should be
totally transparent to the user of the module.  Likewise, the module
might set up an AUTOLOAD function to slurp in subroutine definitions on
demand, but this is also transparent.  Only the .pm file is required to
exist.

2) Guidelines for Module Creation
   ------------------------------

2.1 Do similar modules already exist in some form?

   If so, please try to reuse the existing modules either in whole or
   by inheriting useful features into a new class.  If this is not
   practical try to get together with the module authors to work on
   extending or enhancing the functionality of the existing modules.
   A perfect example is the plethora of packages in perl4 for dealing
   with command line options.

   If you are writing a module to expand an already existing set of
   modules, please coordinate with the author of the package.  It
   helps if you follow the same naming scheme and module interaction
   scheme as the original author.

2.2 Try to design the new module to be easy to extend and reuse.

   Use blessed references.  Use the two argument form of bless to bless
   into the class name given as the first parameter of the constructor,
   e.g.,   sub new { my($class) = @_; return bless {}, $class; }

   Pass arrays as references so more parameters can be added later
   (it's also faster).  Convert functions into methods where
   appropriate.  Split large methods into smaller more flexible ones.
   Inherit methods from other modules if appropriate.

   Avoid class name tests like: die "Invalid" unless ref $ref eq 'FOO'.
   Generally you can delete the "eq 'FOO'" part with no harm at all.
   Let the objects look after themselves! Generally, avoid hardwired
   class names as far as possible.

   Avoid $r->Class::func() where using @ISA=qw(... Class ...) and
   $r->func() would work (see perlbot man page for more details).

   Use autosplit so little used or newly added functions won't be a
   burden to programs which don't use them. Add test functions to
   the module after __END__ either using AutoSplit or by saying:
     eval join('',<main::DATA>) || die $@ unless caller();

   Does your module pass the 'empty sub-class' test? If you say
   "@SUBCLASS::ISA = qw(YOURCLASS);" your applications should be able
   to use SUBCLASS in exactly the same way as YOURCLASS.  For example,
   does your application still work if you change:  $obj = new YOURCLASS;
   into: $obj = new SUBCLASS; ?

   Avoid keeping any state information in your packages. It makes it
   difficult for multiple other packages to use yours. Keep state
   information in objects.

   Always use -w. Try to "use strict;" (or "use strict qw(...);").
   Remember that you can add "no strict qw(...);" to individual blocks
   of code which need less strictness. Always use -w. Always use -w!
   Follow the guidelines in the perlstyle(1) manual.

2.3 Select what to export.

   Do NOT export method names!
   Do NOT export anything else by default without a good reason!

   Exports pollute the namespace of the module user.  If you must
   export try to use @EXPORT_OK in preference to @EXPORT and avoid
   short or common names to reduce the risk of name clashes.

   Generally anything not exported is still accessible from outside the
   module using the ModuleName::item_name (or $blessed_ref->method)
   syntax.  By convention you can use a leading underscore on names to
   informally indicate that they are 'internal' and not for public use.

   (It is actually possible to get private functions by saying:
   my $subref = sub { ... };  &$subref; But there's no way to call that
   directly as a method, since a method must have a name in the symbol
   table.)

   As a general rule, if the module is trying to be object oriented
   then export nothing. If it's just a collection of functions then
   @EXPORT_OK anything but use @EXPORT with caution.

2.4 Select a name for the module.

   This name should be as descriptive, accurate and complete as
   possible.  Avoid any risk of ambiguity. Always try to use two or
   more whole words.  Generally the name should reflect what the module
   does rather than how it does it.  Please use nested module names to
   informally group or categorise a module.

   Having 57 modules all called Sort will not make life easy for anyone
   (though having 23 called Sort::Quick is only marginally better :-).
   Imagine someone trying to install your module alongside many others.
   If in any doubt ask for suggestions in comp.lang.perl.misc.

   If you are developing a suite of related modules/classes it's good
   practice to use nested classes with a common prefix as this will
   avoid namespace clashes. For example:  Xyz::Control, Xyz::View,
   Xyz::Model etc. Use the modules in this list as a naming guide.

   If adding a new module to a set, follow the original author's
   standards for naming modules and the interface to methods in
   those modules.

   To be portable each component of a module name should be limited to
   11 characters. If it might be used on DOS then try to ensure each is
   unique in the first 8 characters. Nested modules make this easier.

2.5 Have you got it right?

   How do you know that you've made the right decisions? Have you
   picked an interface design that will cause problems later? Have
   you picked the most appropriate name? Do you have any questions?

   The best way to know for sure, and pick up many helpful suggestions,
   is to ask someone who knows. Comp.lang.perl is read by just about
   all the people who develop modules and it's the best place to ask.

   All you need to do is post a short summary of the module, its
   purpose and interfaces. A few lines on each of the main methods is
   probably enough. (If you post the whole module it might be ignored
   by busy people - generally the very people you want to read it!)

   Don't worry about posting if you can't say when the module will be
   ready - just say so in the message. It might be worth inviting
   others to help you, they may be able to complete it for you!

2.6 README and other Additional Files.

   It's well known that software developers usually fully document the
   software they write. If, however, the world is in urgent need of
   your software and there is not enough time to write the full
   documentation please at least provide a README file containing:

     A description of the module/package/extension etc.
     A copyright notice - see below.
     Prerequisites - what else you may need to have.
     How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc.
     How to install it.
     Recent changes in this release, especially incompatibilities
     Changes / enhancements you plan to make in the future.

   If the README file seems to be getting too large you may wish to
   split out some of the sections into separate files: INSTALL,
   Copying, ToDo etc.

2.7 Adding a Copyright Notice.

   How you choose to licence your work is a personal decision.
   The general mechanism is to assert your Copyright and then make
   a declaration of how others may copy/use/modify your work.

   Perl, for example, is supplied with two types of licence: The GNU
   GPL and The Artistic License (see the files README, Copying and
   Artistic).  Larry has good reasons for NOT just using the GNU GPL.

   My personal recommendation, out of respect for Larry, Perl and the
   perl community at large is to simply state something like:

     Copyright (c) 1995 Your Name. All rights reserved.
     This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
     modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

   This statement should at least appear in the README file. You may
   also wish to include it in a Copying file and your source files.

2.8 Give the module a version/issue/release number.

   Add a function or method to retrieve the number. Use the number in
   announcements and archive file names when releasing the module
   (ModuleName-1.02.tar.Z). See ExtUtils::MakeMaker.pm for details.
   It's a good idea to use two digits after the decimal point.

2.9 How to release and distribute a module.

   It's good idea to post an announcement of the availability of your
   module (or the module itself if small) to the comp.lang.perl.announce
   Usenet newsgroup.  This will at least ensure very wide once-off
   distribution.

   If possible you should place the module into a major ftp archive and
   include details of it's location in your announcement.

   Some notes about ftp archives: Please use a long descriptive file
   name which includes the version number. Most incoming directories
   will not be readable/listable, i.e., you won't be able to see your
   file after uploading it. Remember to send your email notification
   message as soon as possible after uploading else your file may get
   deleted automatically. Allow time for the file to be processed
   and/or check the file has been processed before announcing its
   location.

+  Some FTP Archives for Perl Modules:

   Upload to: ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/incoming
   Notify:    [email-masked]

   Please remember to send me an updated entry for the Module list!

2.10 Take care when changing a released module.

   Always strive to remain compatible with previous released versions
   (see 2.2 above) Otherwise try to add a mechanism to revert to the
   old behaviour if people rely on it. Document incompatible changes.

3) Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules
   -------------------------------------------------------------

3.1 There is no requirement to convert anything.

   If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Perl 4 library scripts should
   continue to work with no problems. You may need to make some minor
   changes (like escaping non-array @'s in double quoted strings) but
   there is no need to convert a .pl file into a Module for just that.

3.2 Consider the implications.

   All the perl applications which make use of the script will need to
   be changed (slightly) if the script is converted into a module.  Is
   it worth it unless you plan to make other changes at the same time?

3.3 Make the most of the opportunity.

   If you are going to convert the script to a module you can use the
   opportunity to redesign the interface. The 'Guidelines for Module
   Creation' above include many of the issues you should consider.

3.4 The pl2pm utility will get you started.

   This utility will read *.pl files (given as parameters) and write
   corresponding *.pm files. The pl2pm utilities does the following:
   - Adds the standard Module prologue lines
   - Converts package specifiers from ' to ::
   - Converts die(...) to croak(...)
   - Several other minor changes
   Being a mechanical process pl2pm is not bullet proof. The converted
   code will need careful checking, especially any package statements.
   Don't delete the original .pl file till the new .pm one works!

4) Guidelines for Reusing Application Code
   ---------------------------------------

4.1 Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library.

4.2 Many applications contain some perl code which could be reused.
    Help save the world! Share your code in a form that makes it easy
    to reuse.

4.3 Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files.

4.4 Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces.

4.5 In some cases the 'application' can then be reduced to a small
    fragment of code built on top of the reusable modules. In these cases
    the application could invoked as:
         perl -e 'use Module::Name; method(@ARGV)' ...
    or   perl -mModule::Name ...    (in perl5.002?)

=======================================================================

              Part 2 - The Perl 5 Module List
              ===============================

The remainder of this document is divided up into sections. Each
section deals with a particular topic and lists all known modules
related to that topic.  Modules are only listed in one section so
check all sections that might related to your particular needs.

All the information corresponds to the latest updates I have received.
I don't record the version number or release dates of the listed
Modules. Nor do I record the locations of these Modules. Consult the
contact, try the usual perl archive sites or ask in comp.lang.perl.misc.
Please do *not* ask me directly, I simply don't have the time. Sorry.

1) Module Listing Format

Each Module listing is very short. The main goal is to simply publish
the existence of the modules, or ideas for modules, and enough contact
information for you to find out more. Each listing includes some
characters which convey (approximate) basic status information.

For example:

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-------------  ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Fcntl          Sdcf  Defines fcntl() constants (see File::Lock)   JHI

Where the 'DSLI' characters have the following meanings:

  D - Development Stage  (Note: *NO* *IMPLIED* *TIMESCALES*!):
    i   - Idea, listed to gain consensus or as a placeholder
    c   - under construction but pre-alpha (not yet released)
    a/b - Alpha/Beta testing
    R   - Released
    M   - Mature (no rigorous definition)
    S   - Standard, supplied with Perl 5

  S - Support Level:
    m   - Mailing-list
    d   - Developer
    u   - Usenet newsgroup comp.lang.perl.misc
    n   - None known, try comp.lang.perl.misc

  L - Language Used:
    p   - Perl-only, no compiler needed, should be platform independent
    c   - C and perl, a C compiler will be needed
    +   - C++ and perl, a C++ compiler will be needed
    o   - perl and another language other than C or C++

  I - Interface Style
    f   - plain Functions, no references used
    r   - some use of unblessed References or ties
    O   - Object oriented using blessed references and/or inheritance

Where letters are missing they can usually be inferred from the
others.  For example 'i' implies 'id', 'S' implies 'Su'.

The Info column gives a contact reference 'tag'. Lookup this tag in the
"Information / Contact Reference Details" section in Pert 3 of this
document.  If no contact is given always try asking in comp.lang.perl.misc.

Most Modules are nested in categories such as IPC::Open2 and IPC::Open3.
These are shown as 'IPC::' on one line then each module listed below
with a '::' prefix.

Ideas For Adoption

Modules listed as in the 'i' Development Stage with no contact
reference are ideas without an owner. Feel free to 'adopt' these but
please let me know so that I can update the list and thus inform anyone
else who might be interested. Adoption simply means that you either
hope to implement the module one day or would like to cooperate with
anyone else who might be interested in implementing it.

Cooperation

Similarly, if an idea that interests you has been adopted by someone
please contact them so you can share ideas.  Just because an idea has
been adopted does NOT imply that it's going to be implemented. Just
because a module is listed and being implemented does NOT mean it'll
get finised. Waiting silently in the hope that the Module will appear
one day is unlikely to be fruitful! Offer to help. Cooperate. Pool your
efforts. Go on, try it!

The same applies to modules in all states. Most modules are developed
in limited spare time. If you're interested in a module don't just wait
for it to happen, offer to help!

Module developers should feel free to announce incomplete work early.
If you're not going to be able to spend much time on something then say
so. If you invite cooperation maybe someone will implement it for you!

_______________________________________________________________________

2) Perl Core Modules and Perl Language Extensions

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
CORE           Suc   Internal base class for native functions
UNIVERSAL      Suc   Internal universal base-class 
AutoLoader     Sup   Automatic perl module method loader
DynaLoader     Suc   Dynamic loader for shared libraries
Exporter       Sup   Implements default import method for modules
Carp           Sup   Throw exceptions outside current package
Config         Sup   Stores details of perl build configuration
English        Sup   Defines English names for special variables
strict         Sup   Controls averments (similar to pragmas)
integer        Sup   Controls float vs. integer arithmetic
less           Sup   Controls optimisations: 'use less memory;'
subs           Sup   "use subs qw(x y)" is short for "sub x; sub y;"
sigtrap        Sup   For trapping an abort and giving a traceback 
TieHash        Sup   Base class for implementing tied hashes

Multithreading for Perl:

Plthread       i     Multithreading at Perl level (not O/S level) MICB

Source Code Filters (currently requires 'filter' patches to Perl5.001):

Filter::
::cpp          adcf  Filters perl source through C preprocessor   PMQS

_______________________________________________________________________

3) Development Support

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
AutoSplit      Supf  Splits modules into files for AutoLoader
Benchmark      Supf  Easy way to time fragments of perl code
AddINC         adpf  Easy way to manipulate @INC via use          GBARR
DoWhatIWant    i     Does what you want without even asking

ExtUtils::
::MakeMaker    SupO  Writes Makefiles for extensions
::DynaGlue     i     Utilities/glue code for C<->Perl interfaces
::Peek         adcf  Interface to internal sv_dump and sv_peek    ILYAZ

Test::
::Harness      Sup   Executes perl-style tests

Devel::
::DProf        bdcf  Execution profiler (excellent)               DMR
::Debug        i     Function and class debugging support
::DumpStack    Rupf  Dumping of the current function stack        JACKS
::Usage        bupr  Type and range checking on subroutine args   JACKS

VCS::
::RCS          idpi  Interface layer over RCS functionality       RJRAY +
::RCE          idci  Perl layer over RCE C API                    RJRAY +

_______________________________________________________________________

4) Operating System Interfaces

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
POSIX          SupO  An interface to most (all?) of POSIX.1
Fcntl          Sdcf  Defines fcntl() constants (see File::Lock)   JHI
Ioctl          adcf  Defines ioctl() constants                    KJALB
Errno          i     Constants from <errno.h> EACCES, ENOENT etc  JHI

BSD::
::Remote       adpf  getrusage(), s/getrlimit(), s/getpriority()  JHI
::HostIdent    adpf  s/gethostname(), s/gethostid()               JHI

Sys::
::Hostname     Supf  Implements a portable hostname function
::Syslog       Supf  Provides same functionality as BSD syslog
::AlarmCall    Rupf  Timeout on any sub. Allows nested alarms     JACKS

SYS::
::dfent        adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::gmtime       adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::grent        adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::hostent      adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::localtime    adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::mntent       adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::netent       adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::protoent     adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::pwent        adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::servent      adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::stat         adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::statfs       adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC
::times        adpf  By-name interface                            TOMC

MSDOS::
::SysCalls     adcf  MSDOS interface (interrupts, port I/O)       DMO

SGI::
::SysCalls     cdcf  SGI-specific system calls                    AMOSS
::GL           adcr  SGI's Iris GL library                        AMOSS
::FM           adcr  SGI's Font Management library                AMOSS

VMS::
::SysCalls     i     VMS-specific system calls                    CBAIL
::Filespec     Sdcf  VMS and Unix file name syntax                CBAIL

NeXTStep::
::NetInfo      idco  NeXTStep's NetInfo (like ONC NIS)            PGUEN

_______________________________________________________________________

5) Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Socket         Sucf  Defines all socket-related constants

Net::
::Ping         Supf  Implements TCP/IP ping (currently only echo) PMQS
::IRC          i     Internet Relay Chat interface                MRG
::FTP          idpf  Implements File Transfer Protocol interface  GSPAF
::Telnet       i                                                  GBARR
::SOCKS        i     TCP/IP access through firewalls using SOCKS  WSCOT
::NIS          cdcO  Interface to Sun's NIS                       RIK
::NISPlus      cdcO  Interface to Sun's NIS+                      RIK

Net::
::Gen          adcO  Generic support for socket usage             SPIDB
::Inet         adcO  Internet (IP) socket usage                   SPIDB
::TCP          adcO  TCP-specific socket usage                    SPIDB
::UDP          cdcO  UDP-specific socket usage                    SPIDB
::Dnet         cdcO  DECnet-specific socket usage                 SPIDB

IPC::
::Open2        Supf
::Open3        Supf
::Chat2        ?     Out-of-service during refit!
::SysV         i     shared memory, semaphores, messages etc      JHI
::Mmap         adcf  Interface to Unix's mmap() shared memory     MICB

RPC::
::ONC          i     Open Network Computing (Sun) RPC interface   PKUTS
::DCE          i     Distributed Computing Environment (OSF) RPCs

Chat2          adpf  Basic port of chat2.pl (see also IPC::Chat2) GBARR

Proxy          adpO  Transport-independent remote processing      MICB
Proxy::
::Tk           aucO  Tk transport class for Proxy (part of Tk)    MICB

ToolTalk       adcr  Interface to the ToolTalk messaging service  MARCP

_______________________________________________________________________

6) Data Types and Data Type Utilities (see also Database Interfaces)

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Math::
::BigInt       SupO  Arbitrary size integer math package          MARKB
::BigFloat     ?
::BigRat       ?
::Complex      adpO  Complex number data type                     DNAD
::IEEE         i     Interface to ANSI/IEEE Std 754-1985 funcs
::Pari         adcf  Interface to the PARI library                ILYAZ

Array::
::Vec          idp   Implement array using vec()                  LWALL
::Substr       idp   Implement array using substr()               LWALL
::Virtual      idp   Implement array using a file                 LWALL

Set::
::Scalar       adpO  Implement Set of scalars (inc references)    JHI

Date::
::GetDate      adcf  Yacc based free-format date parser in C      TOMC
::GetDate      adpf  Byacc based free-format date parser in Perl  GBARR
::CTime        adpf  Updated ctime.pl with mods for timezones     GBARR
::Time         idpO  Lightweight normalised datetime data type    TIMB
::Interval     idpO  Lightweight normalised interval data type    TIMB

Time::
::Local        Supf  Implements timelocal() and timegm()
::Time         adcf  High resolution timers and time-of-day       JHI

FreezeThaw     bdpf  Convert arbitrary objects to/from strings    ILYAZ

Tie::
::SubstrHash   RdpO  Very compact hash stored in a string         LWALL
::ShiftSplice  i     Defines shift et al in terms of splice       LWALL
::Mem          adcO  Bind perl variables to memory addresses      PMQS
::File         adpr  Tie hash to files in a directory             AMW
::Quick        i     Simple way to create ties                    TIMB
::Watch        i     Uses Tie::Quick to watch a variable          TIMB

Class::
::Behavior     adpf  General behavior methods for classes         JACKS
::Eroot        bdpO  Eternal Root - Object persistence            DMR
::Template     bdpr  Struct/member template builder               DMR

Statistics::
::Descriptive  RdpO  Descriptive statistical methods              JKAST

_______________________________________________________________________

7) Database Interfaces (see also Data Types)

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
DBI            amcO  Generic Database Interface (see DBD modules) DBPRL
DBD::
::Oracle       amcO  Oracle Driver for DBI                        TIMB
::Ingres       cmcO  Ingres Driver for DBI                        TIMB
::Msql         cdcO  Msql Driver for DBI                          ANDK
::DB2          cdcO  DB2 Driver for DBI                           MHM
::Sybase       idcO  Sybase Driver for DBI                        MEWP

Oraperl        ampf  Oraperl emulation interface for DBD::Oracle  TIMB
Ingperl        cmpf  Ingperl emulation interface for DBD::Ingres  TIMB

Sybase::
::DBlib        adcO  Sybase DBlibrary interface                   MEWP
::Sybperl      adcf  sybperl 1.0xx compatibility module           MEWP
::CTlib        cdcO  Sybase CTlibrary intgerface                  MEWP

Msql           adcf  Mini-SQL, a light weight SQL database        ANDK
Pg             bdcf  Postgress database interface                 MERGL

Tied Hash File Interfaces:

NDBM_File      Suc   Tie to NDBM files
DB_File        Suc   Tie to DB files                              PMQS
GDBM_File      Suc   Tie to GDBM files
SDBM_File      Suc   Tie to SDBM files
ODBM_File      Suc   Tie to ODBM files
AnyDBM_File    Sup   Uses first available *_File module above
DBZ_File       adc   Tie to dbz files (mainly for news history)   IANPX

AsciiDB        adp   Generic text database parsing                MICB
Stanza         adp   Text format database used by OSF and IBM     JHI
NetCDF         bmcr  Interface to netCDF API for scientific data  SEMM

DTREE          cdcf  Interface to Faircom DTREE multikey isam db  JWAT

_______________________________________________________________________

8) User Interfaces (Character and Graphical)

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Term::
::Cap          Supf  Basic termcap: Tgetent, Tputs, Tgoto
::Info         adpf  Terminfo interface (currently just Tput)     KJALB
::Complete     Supf  Tab word completion using stty raw
::ReadLine     adcf  GNU Readline, history and completion         ILYAZ
::Control      idpf  Basic curses-type screen controls (gotxy)    KJALB
::Read         cdcf  Terminal reading functions (getkey)          KJALB
::Pseudo       i     Pseudo terminal (pty) functions
::Gnuplot      adcf  Draw vector graphics on terminals etc        ILYAZ

Major X-Windows User Interface Tools:

Tk             bmcO  Object oriented version of Tk v4             TKML
Tkperldb       bmpf  Graphical perl debugger interface            TKML
Sx             adc   Simple Athena widget interface               FMC
Motif          cdcf  Simple Motif and Xt interface                ERICA
Wcl            i     Interface to the Widget Creation Library     TOMH
Fresco         cd+O  Interface to Fresco (post X11R6 version)     BPETH

Major Character User Interface Tools:

Curses         adcO  Character screen handling and windowing      WPS
Perlmenu       Mdpf  Curses-based menu and template system        SKUNZ
PV             bmpO  PerlVision curses windowing (OO widgets etc) PVML

_______________________________________________________________________

9) Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Tcl            RdcO  Complete access to Tcl                       MICB
::Tk           RdcO  Complete access to Tk *via Tcl*              MICB

Language::
::Prolog       adpO  An implementation of Prolog                  JACKS

SICStus        adcO  Interface to SICStus Prolog Runtime          CBAIL

Fortran::
::NameList     adpf  Interface to FORTRAN NameList data           SGEL

_______________________________________________________________________

10) File Names, File Systems, File Locking and File Handles

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
File::
::Path         Supf  File path and name utilities
::Basename     Supf  Return basename of a filename
::CheckTree    Supf  Check file/dir tree against a specification
::Find         Supf  Call func for every item in a directory tree
::Lock         adcf  File locking using flock() and lockf()       JHI
::KGlob        cdcf  Filename globing (ksh style)                 TYEMQ
::Attrib       idpO  Get/set file attributes (stat)               TYEMQ

Cwd            Supf  Current working directory functions
FileHandle     SupO  File handle manipulation functions

_______________________________________________________________________

11) Text Processing, Parsing and Searching

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Text::
::Abbrev       Supf  Builds hash of all possible abbreviations
::ParseWords   Supf  Parse strings containing shell-style quoting
::Soundex      Supf  Convert a string to a soundex value
::TeX          cdpO  TeX typesetting language input parser        ILYAZ
::Trie         adpf  Find common heads and tails from strings     ILYAZ

String::
::Edit         adpf  Assorted handy text editing functions        TOMC  +

Search::
::Dict         Supf  Search a dictionary ordered text file

SGML::
::Element      cdpO  Build a SGML element structure tree          LSTAF
::SP           cd+O  Interface to James Clark's Sp SGML parser    DFD

Font::
::AFM          adpf  Parse Adobe Font Metric files                GAAS

_______________________________________________________________________

12) Option, Argument, Parameter and Configuration File Processing

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Getopt::
::Std          Supf  Implements basic getopt and getopts
::Long         Supf  Advanced option handling                     JV
::Gnu          adcf  GNU form of long option handling             WSCOT

ConfigReader   cdpO  Read directives from configuration file      AMW

_______________________________________________________________________

13) Internationalization and Locale

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
I18N::
::Collate      bdpr  Locale based comparisons                     JHI
::WideMulti    i     Wide and multibyte character string          JHI

_______________________________________________________________________

14) Security and Encryption

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
DES            adcf  DES encryption (libdes)                      EAYNG
Des            adcf  DES encryption (libdes)                      MICB
MD5            adcf  MD5 message digest algorithm                 NWINT
Kerberos       adcf  Kerberos IV authentication                   MICB
GSS            i     Generic Security Services API (RFC ????)     

_______________________________________________________________________

15) World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME etc (see Text Processing)

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
URI::
::URL          RmpO  Uniform Resource Locator objects             LWWWP

CGI::
::Base         bmpO  Complete HTTPD CGI Interface class           CGIP
::MiniSvr      bmpO  Fork CGI app as a per-session mini server    CGIP
::Request      bmpO  Parse CGI request and handle form fields     CGIP
::Form         ampf  Form tools for interactive pages             MGH
::UnixSocket   cmcf  Runs cgi in background through unix socket   AMW

HTML::
::*            i

HTTP::
::*            i

WWW::
::HTTP         cmpO  Implement HyperText Transfer Protocol        LWWWP
::Log          i     Parse Common Log File Format
::Robots       i     Parse /robots.txt file

MIME::
::Header       i     Parse / construct MIME headers
::Handler      i     Base class for MIME content handlers
::Object       i     Base class for MIME decoded objects

_______________________________________________________________________

16) Server and Daemon Utilities

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Server               Hierarchy of generic server classes

Server::Configs::
::BasicConfig  RupO  Configuration template class for servers     JACKS

Server::Initialize::
::Functions    Rupf  Utility functions for initializing servers   JACKS
::Daemon       Rupr  Intializing a daemon server                  JACKS
::Pipe         Rupr  Intializing a server being piped to          JACKS
::InetdService Rupr  Intializing a server started from inetd      JACKS

Server::Server::
::EventDriven  RupO  Triggers objects on i/o, timers & interrupts JACKS

Server::Echo::
::MailPipe     cup   A process which accepts piped mail           JACKS
::TcpDForking  cup   TCP daemon which forks clients               JACKS
::TcpDMplx     cup   TCP daemon which multiplexes clients         JACKS
::TcpISWFork   cup   TCP inetd wait process, forks clients        JACKS
::TcpISWMplx   cup   TCP inetd wait process, multiplexes clients  JACKS
::TcpISNowait  cup   TCP inetd nowait process                     JACKS
::UdpD         cup   UDP daemon                                   JACKS
::UdpIS        cup   UDP inetd process                            JACKS

Server::Inet::
::Functions    cdpf  Utility functions for Inet socket handling   JACKS
::Object       cupO  Basic Inet object                            JACKS
::TcpClientObj cupO  A TCP client (connected) object              JACKS
::TcpMasterObj cupO  A TCP master (listening) object              JACKS
::UdpObj       cupO  A UDP object                                 JACKS

Server::FileQueue::
::Functions    cupf  Functions for handling files and mailboxes   JACKS
::Object       cupO  Basic object                                 JACKS
::DirQueue     cupO  Files queued in a directory                  JACKS
::MboxQueue    cupO  Mail queued in a mail box                    JACKS

Server::Mail::
::Functions    cupf  Functions for handling files and mailboxes   JACKS
::Object       cupO  Basic mail object                            JACKS

_______________________________________________________________________

17) Archiving and Compression

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Zip            cdcf  Interface to the Info-Zip zlib library       PMQS

_______________________________________________________________________

18) Image, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing and Graphing

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
PixDraw        adcO  Drawing and manipulating true color images   KSB
GD             adcO  GIF editing/painting/manipulation            LDS
PGPLOT         Rdof  PGPLOT plotting library - scientific graphs  KGB   +

_______________________________________________________________________

19) Mail and Usenet News

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
Mail::
::Address      adpf  Manipulation of electronic mail addresses    GBARR
::RFC822       adpO  Functions for RFC822 address manipulations   GBARR
::MIME         adpO  Extends Mail::RFC822 to understand MIME      GBARR
::Send         adpO  Simple interface for sending mail            GBARR +
::SMTP         i     Protocol support including expn
::MH           adcr  MH mail interface                            MRG

News::
::NNTPClient   bdpO  Support for clients of NNTP servers          RVA

_______________________________________________________________________

20) Miscellaneous Modules

Name           DSLI  Description                                  Info
-----------    ----  -------------------------------------------- -----
WAIS           Rdcf  Interface to the freeWAIS-sf libraries       ULPFR
Pcap           i     An interface for LBL's packet capture lib    AMOSS
Nexus          cdcO  Interface to Nexus (threads/ipc/processes)   RDO
IXO            i     IXO alphanumeric pager protocol
Roman          bdpf  Convert Roman numbers to and from Arabic     OZAWA

Bio::
::*            i     Utilities for molecular biology              SEB   +

=======================================================================

           Part 3 - Big Projects Registry
           ==============================

1) Introduction

This section of the Module List is devoted to listing "Big Projects".
I don't want to define Big (or even Project) here. I hope the items
below speak for themselves. Almost all are just ideas, though some have
been dabbled with.

These are ideas for people with very strong skills and lots of time.
Please talk, and listen, to Larry _before_ starting to do any work on
projects which relate to the core implementation of Perl.

Ask not when these will be implemented but ask how you can help
implement them.

2) Items in the Todo File

The Todo supplied with Perl lists over 60 items in categories ranging
from "Would be nice to have" to "Vague possibilities".

Contacts: LWALL P5P

2) Perl Compiler

Part of the design of Perl 5 was to make it possible to write a
compiler for it. It's a possible master's thesis topic.

Related to this is the ability to save and load a 'flat' byte-code
representation of the compiled perl code.

Note that three different prototype Tcl compilers have recently been
announced in the comp.lang.tcl group! Anyone interested in this should
take a good look at the Java language from Sun http://java.sun.com/.

Contacts: LWALL P5P

3) Safe Perl

A mechanism to allow unknown/insecure perl code to be compiled and
executed in a finely controlled manner. An eventual aim is to enable
Perl Objects (data+code) to travel between applications (possibly
across networks).  Similar to the existing Safe-Tcl (see
http://minsky.med.virginia.edu/sdm7g/Projects/Python/safe-tcl/).

Contacts: LWALL MICB P5P

4) Multi-threading

This is really two projects. True threads (e.g., POSIX) using multiple
independant perl interpreter structures and simple timeslicing of
'tasks' within a single perl interpreter. True threads requires
operating system support or an external thread library, simple
timeslicing does not (and should be portable to all platforms).

Contacts: LWALL MICB P5P

5) Object Management Group Interface Definition Language and/or ILU

OMG's (Object Management Group) CORBA 1.1 (Common Object Request Broker
Architecture) specification provides the standard interface definition
between OMG-compliant objects.  IDL (Interface Definition Language) is
the base mechanism for object interaction.  The SunSoft OMG IDL CFE
(Compiler Front End) provides a complete framework for building CORBA
1.1-compliant preprocessors for OMG IDL.  To use SunSoft OMG IDL CFE,
you must write a back-end; full instructions are included.  A complete
compiler of IDL would translate IDL into client side and server side
routines for remote communication in the same manner as the currrent
Sun RPCL compiler.  Several companies including Sunsoft are building
back ends to the CFE which translate IDL into target languages, e.g.
Pascal or C++, in the context of planned CORBA-compliant products.

Contacts: [email-masked], ftp://omg.org/pub/OMG_IDL/
Also: ftp://parcftp.parc.xerox.com/pub/ilu/ilu.html

7) Expand Tied Array Interface

LEN, PUSH, POP, SHIFT, UNSHIFT and a fallback to SPLICE are needed.
Complicated by very widespread use of arrays within perl internals.

Contacts: LWALL P5P

8) Tied File Handles

It is a long term goal to allow perl file handles to be tied. This will
probably be based on the sfio (Safe Fast IO) library.

Contacts: PMQS P5P LWALL

=======================================================================

           Part 4 - Who's Who and What's Where
           ===================================

1) Information / Contact Reference Details (in alphabetical order)

  Ref    Contact Details
  -----  --------------------------------------------------------------
  AMOSS  Amos Shapira <[email-masked]>
  AMW    Andrew Wilcox <[email-masked]>
  ANDK   Andreas Koenig <[email-masked]>
  BBUM   Bill Bumgarner <[email-masked]>
  BPETH  Bill Petheram <[email-masked]>
  CBAIL  Charles Bailey <[email-masked]>
  CGIP   The CGI-Perl Developers mailing list <[email-masked]>
  DBPRL  DBperl mailing list. <[email-masked]>
  DFD    Dominic Dunlop <[email-masked]>
  DMO    Darryl Okahata <[email-masked]>
  DMR    Dean Roehrich <[email-masked]>
  DNAD   Dave Nadler <nadler@apphpp2>
  EAYNG  Eric Young <[email-masked]>
  ERICA  Eric Arnold <[email-masked]>
  FMC    Frederic Chauveau <[email-masked]>
  GAAS   Gisle Aas <[email-masked]>
  GBARR  Graham Barr <[email-masked]>
  GSPAF  Gene Spafford <[email-masked]>
  IANPX  Ian Phillipps <[email-masked]>
  ILYAZ  Ilya Zakharevich <[email-masked]>
  JACKS  Jack Shirazi <[email-masked]>
  JHI    Jarkko Hietaniemi <[email-masked]>
  JKAST  Jason Kastner <[email-masked]>
  JV     Johan Vromans <[email-masked]>
  JWAT   John Watson <[email-masked]>
+ KGB    Karl Glazebrook <[email-masked]>
  KJALB  Kenneth Albanowski <[email-masked]>
  KSB    Simon Berg <[email-masked]>
  LDS    Lincoln D. Stein <[email-masked]>
  LSTAF  Lennart Staflin <[email-masked]>
  LWALL  Larry Wall. Author of Perl. Busy man. <[email-masked]>
  LWWWP  libwww-perl mailing list <[email-masked]>
  MARKB  Mark Biggar <[email-masked]>
  MARCP  Marc Paquette <[email-masked]>
  MEWP   Michael Peppler <[email-masked]>
  MERGL  Edmund Mergl <[email-masked]>
  MGH    Marc Hedlund <[email-masked]>
  MHM    Mike Moran <[email-masked]>
  MICB   Malcolm Beattie <[email-masked]>
  MRG    Matthew Green <[email-masked]>
  NI-S   Nick Ing-Simmons <[email-masked]>
  NWINT  Neil Winton <[email-masked]>
  OZAWA  OZAWA Sakuro <[email-masked]>
  PKUTS  Peter Kutschera <[email-masked]>
  PMQS   Paul Marquess <[email-masked]>
  P5P    The Perl5 Porters Mailing List <[email-masked]>
  PGUEN  Philip Guenther <[email-masked]>
  PVML   Perl Vision Mailing List <[email-masked]>
  RDO    Robert Olson <[email-masked]>
  RIK    Rik Harris <[email-masked]>
+ RJRAY  Randy J Ray <[email-masked]>
  RVA    Rodger Anderson <[email-masked]>
+ SEB    Steven Brenner <[email-masked]>
  SEMM   Steve Emmerson <[email-masked]>
  SGEL   Sergio Gelato <[email-masked]>
  SKUNZ  Steven L. Kunz <[email-masked]>
  SPIDB  Spider Boardman <[email-masked]>
  TKML   Tk Mailing list <[email-masked]>
  TOMC   Tom Christiansen <[email-masked]>
  TOMH   Tom Horsley <[email-masked]>
  TIMB   Tim Bunce <[email-masked]>
  TYEMQ  Tye McQueen <[email-masked]>
  UCLP   Usenet: comp.lang.perl.misc, always a good place to enquire
  ULPFR  Ulrich Pfeifer <[email-masked]>
  WPS    William Setzer <[email-masked]>
  WSCOT  Wayne Scott <[email-masked]>

2) Perl Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Files

  Perl Meta-FAQ on the World Wide Web (WWW)
    http://www.khoros.unm.edu/staff/neilb/perl/metaFAQ
    http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/perl/metaFAQ.html
    http://web.nexor.co.uk/perl/Meta-FAQ.txt

  Perl FAQ
    ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/perl-faq/
    ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.answers/perl-faq/
    ftp://ftp.cis.ufl.edu/pub/perl/doc/FAQ
    ftp://ftp.khoros.unm.edu/pub/perl/faq.gz
    ftp://ftp.cs.ruu.nl/pub/NEWS.ANSWERS/perl-faq/
    ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/doc/faq
    ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/perl/FAQ

3) Some Perl Archives

    ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/perl        # mirrors many other perl archives
    ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/pub/perl
    ftp://ftp.cbi.tamucc.edu/pub/duff/Perl
    ftp://ftp.cis.ufl.edu/pub/perl
    ftp://ftp.cs.ruu.nl/pub/PERL
    ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/perl
    ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl
    ftp://ftp.khoros.unm.edu/pub/perl
    ftp://ftp.metronet.com/pub/perl
    ftp://ftp.uu.net/languages/perl
    ftp://ftp.wpi.edu/perl5
    ftp://ftp.zrz.tu-berlin.de/pub/unix/perl
    ftp://perl.com/pub/perl
    ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/perl
    ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/perl5
    ftp://sungear.mame.mu.oz.au/pub/perl

End.