In the recent days I found two nodes about Matt's scripts: How to promote scripts on cpan? and Not Matt's Scripts.

Question: What's wrong with that scripts?
Answer: Most of Matt's scripts is written for Perl 4. In the time where security was NOT an issue (at least in Perl)

Question: What are these scripts widely used?
Answer: See neophyte's node on this: How to promote scripts on cpan?

Fortunatelly nobody has provided a link to Matt's script archive. Nor do I. I think it's better to avoid them at all. Anyway I think that rewriting the scripts would be a good idea, since they are very popular. I suggest to follow Ovid's CGI tutorial 
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Re: Yet Another Matt's Scripts Node
by davorg (Chancellor) on Aug 13, 2001 at 14:03 UTC
    Most of Matt's scripts is written for Perl 4. In the time where security was NOT an issue (at least in Perl)

    I disagree with this. Matt's script have no security in them not because security wasn't an issue at that time, but because Matt didn't know enough about Perl or CGI to understand the necessity.

    Anyway I think that rewriting the scripts would be a good idea, since they are very popular.

    And that's exactly what Not Matt's Scripts is all about.

    --
    <http://www.dave.org.uk>

    Perl Training in the UK <http://www.iterative-software.com>

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Re: Yet Another Matt's Scripts Node
by Anonymous Monk on Aug 13, 2001 at 21:59 UTC
    One thing of note:

    these scripts are mostly self contained.
    if your domain is not on your own box and
    you server admin doesnt want to install any needed modules
    then these scripts can be very useful and easy to deploy
    especially for those who do not use perl daily
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      these scripts are mostly self contained. if your domain is not on your own box and you server admin doesnt want to install any needed modules then these scripts can be very useful and easy to deploy especially for those who do not use perl daily

      If you want to open up your domain to all kinds of security risks, then by all means use them. My favorite thread from comp.lang.perl.misc on the subject was this one.
      Free now, pay later.

      Update:And my favorite post from that thread is this one, but read the rest of the thread first to put it in context :)

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        Excellent link, runrig. ++ you for it.

        Every person thinking about one simple persuading reason why not to use Matt's scripts, should read this newsgroup thread. If after reading still insist on using Matt's scripts, they deserve all hacker's fun they'll get - as poor troll Gerald C. Newton got in the thread. If you did not read it, do it. Extremely motivating reading!

        We may want to add in PM also some Q and A sections about what not to do, like Frequently Repeated Errors, and avoiding Matt's scripts will be prime candidate - with link above as a proof.

        pmas
        To make errors is human. But to make million errors per second, you need a computer.

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