Warning: Unless otherwise stated, code is untested. Do not use without understanding. Code is posted in the hopes it is useful, but without warranty. All copyrights are relinquished into the public domain unless otherwise stated. I am not an angel. I am capable of error, and err on a fairly regular basis. If I made a mistake, please let me know (such as by replying to this node).
Hm, chip is/was leading a project named Topaz, that was going to be a re-implementation of Perl 5 in C++. Doesn't look he's working on it actively, though: the latest download version is dated April 2000.