What is Perl 6?

In this chapter, we will examine the reasons why Perl 6 appeared and follow the history of the development of the language. You will see some examples of changes that have happened since Perl 5, and you will learn how to download and use the compiler, where to find the documentation, and how to run your first program in Perl 6.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Origins of Perl 6
• Differences from Perl 5
• Perl 6 resources
• Compilers
• Working with Rakudo Star
• Writing our Hello World program