Everyone loves Perl. They just don't know it yet. I've been commissioned for a beginner's introduction to Perl at the official perl.com site, and will post links here as each article goes live.

Part 1: Beginner's Introduction to Perl In this first part of our series, you'll learn a few basics about Perl and see a small sample program. (Discusses math, strings, and loops.)		Part 2: The other two Rs (originally posted November 7, 2000) Finishes the core concepts: loops, flow control, and subs. A little bit more about strings, and a lot about how to play with files.
Part 3: A little `s///` and `m//` (originally posted November 20, 2000) Pattern matching and regular expressions, the coolest things about Perl. Yes, I chose that title myself.		Part 4: It's CGI Time (originally posted December 2000) Perl is my language of choice for CGI programming, and here's why. Discusses `CGI.pm` and its ":standard" mode, which exposes a nice library of functions to the user.
Part 5: Objects and Modules (originally posted December 21, 2000) A little bit about OOP (object-oriented programming) in Perl. Shows a sample of writing your own Perl module, and how to use it. Several exercises, including a look at `CGI.pm` from an object-oriented perspective.