I found how to do this on a basic level via PATH=$PATH:/usr/perl5/bin; perloc -h hex I found the hex function within "Perl In A Nutshell" Here's my contribution:

bash-3.00# vi 2hex
"2hex" 12 lines, 191 characters
#!/usr/bin/perl


$deca=hex("0x175");
$decb=hex("0x1aa");

print "0x175 hex is $deca in decimal\n";
print "0x1aa hex is $decb in decimal\n";


$diff = $decb - $deca;

print "the difference is $diff\n";
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