Ebook: CGI Programming with Perl

Programming on the Web today can involve any of several technologies, but the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) has held its ground as the most mature method--and one of the most powerful ones--of providing dynamic web content. CGI is a generic interface for calling external programs to crunch numbers, query databases, generate customized graphics, or perform any other server-side task. There was a time when CGI was the only game in town for server-side programming; today, although we have ASP, PHP, Java servlets, and ColdFusion (among others), CGI continues to be the most ubiquitous server-side.;CGI Programming with Perl, 2nd Edition; SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O'Reilly; A Note Regarding Supplemental Files; Preface; What's in the Book; What You Are Expected to Know Before Reading; Overview of the Book; Conventions in This Book; How to Contact Us; Acknowledgments; Acknowledgments from the First Edition; 1. Getting Started; History; How CGI Is Used Today; Introduction to CGI; Sample CGI; Invoking CGI Scripts; Alternative Technologies; Why Perl?; Alternatives to CGI; Web Server Configuration; Configuring CGI Scripts; Configuring by directory; Configuring by extension.