Reading from the Perl Blackbook it says you can read a certain amount of data from a file. For some reason, it reads and prints the entire thing even though I only tell it to print 1 byte! The test file is about 2 pages long, definitely larger than a byte but everything is printing. 
open(TEST, "test.txt") or die "oops: $!";
my $text = "";
while(read (TEST, $stuff, 1)) {
  $text .= $stuff;
}

print $text;

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Then, I tried adding an offset of 5 thinking it will skip the first portion of it, right? Instead of printing the text, it jumped it all up 
                 H     T     M     L           f     o     r     m    
+ a     t
         (     .     h     t     m           o     r           .     h
+     t
 m     l     )
                       t     e     x     t     /     h     t     m    
+ l

                       A     d     o     b     e           P     o    
+ r     t
   a     b     l     e           D     o     c     u     m     e     n
+     t
       (     p     d     f     )
                 a     p     p     l     i     c     a     t     i    
+ o     n
   /     p     d     f

                       M     i     c     r     o     s     o     f    
+ t
   W     o     r     d           (     .     d     o     c     )
                 a     p     p     l     i     c     a     t     i    
+ o     n
   /     m     s     w     o     r     d

                       M     i     c     r     o     s     o     f    
+ t
   E     x     c     e     l           (     .     x     l     s     )
                 a     p     p     l     i     c     a     t     i    
+ o     n
   /     m     s     e     x     c     e     l

                       M     i     c     r     o     s     o     f    
+ t
   P     o     w     e     r     p     o     i     n     t           (
+     .
 p     p     t     )
                 a     p     p     l     i     c     a     t     i    
+ o     n
   /     m     s     -     p     o     w     e     r     p     o     i
+     n
 t

                       R     e     a     l     a     u     d     i    
+ o
   (     .     r     m     ,           .     r     a     m     )
                       a     u     d     i     o     /     x     -    
+ p     n
   -     r     e     a     l     a     u     d     i     o

                       T     e     x     t           f     o     r    
+ m     a
   t           (     .     t     x     t     )
                       t     e     x     t     /     t     x     t

     Z     i     p     p     e     d           f     i     l     e    
+ s
   (     .     z     i     p     )
           a     p     p     l     i     c     a     t     i     o    
+ n     /
   z     i     p


                       .     a     v     i           v     i     d    
+ e     o
   /     a     v     i

                       .     b     m     p           i     m     a    
+ g     e
   /     b     m     p

                       .     g     i     f           i     m     a    
+ g     e
   /     g     i     f

     .     g     z     i     p           a     p     p     l     i    
+ c     a
   t     i     o     n     /     x     -     g     z     i     p


                       .     j     p     g                 i     m    
+ a     g
   e     /     j     p     e     g

                       .     j     s                 a     p     p    
+ l     i
   c     a     t     i     o     n     /     x     -     j     a     v
+     a
 s     c     r     i     p     t

                             .     m     i     d     i           a    
+ p     p
   l     i     c     a     t     i     o     n     /     x     -     m
+     i
 d     i

                             .     m     p     3           a     u    
+ d     i
   o     /     m     p     e     g     3

                       .     m     p     e     g           v     i    
+ d     e
   o     /     m     p     e     g

                       .     p     n     g           i     m     a    
+ g     e
   /     p     n     g

                       .     p     p     t           a     p     p    
+ l     i
   c     a     t     i     o     n     /     m     s     p     o     w
+     e
 r     p     o     i     n     t

                       .     p     s     d           a     p     p    
+ l     i
   c     a     t     i     o     n     /     o     c     t     e     t
+     -
 s     t     r     e     a     m

     .     z     i     p           a     p     p     l     i     c    
+ a     t
   i     o     n     /     z     i     p

                       .     d     o     c           a     p     p    
+ l     i
   c     a     t     i     o     n     /     m     s     w     o     r
+     d



     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =    
+ =     =
   =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =
+     =
 =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =  
+   =     =
     =     =
     A     D     D


     L     e     a     f     4     2     :                       b    
+ i     n

     L     e     a     f     4     2     :                       c    
+ u     e

     L     e     a     f     4     2     :                       r    
+ a     r

     L     e     a     f     4     2     :                       w    
+ m     v

     L     e     a     f     4     2     :                       m    
+ d     b

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What in the world am I doing wrong?

In reply to Reading input byte by byte by Anonymous Monk

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