text: where can i find an absolute idiots guide to the perl programming language online? there are zillions of comments and little programming tips on perl on the internet, but they're all just for advanced users who already knows the do's and dont's.  please help me with a free online guide that teaches you perl from the beginning. if it is fully downloadable, it would help a lot as well. http://learn.perl.org/ check it out. you should also join the beginner's perl mailing list.