Java is 'platform independant' because you don't compile a Java binary, you compile Java byte-code which is in turn interpretted by a Java virtual machine. Each platform has to have it's own virtual machine written for it.

Since Perl does not have to be compiled, it is somewhat 'platform independant' - a print is a print, whether you use ActiveState, MacPerl, or good ole /usr/bin/perl. But don't try to fork on Win32. ;)

I'm also a little hazy as to what constitutes a "platform"
According to whatis.com:


	A platform consists of an operating system, the computer
	system's coordinating program, and a microprocessor ...

An Intel processor with Windows98 could be considered a platform, as could a Sun box running Solaris. In short, a platform is the achtecture and the OS (or multiple OS's) together as one conceptual entity.

By that logic, Perl is not a platform. It is, IMHO, a high-level programming language. :)

cianoz: have you seen POE yet?

Jeff 

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--
(the triplet paradiddle)

In reply to (jeffa) Re: Perl as a Platform? by jeffa
in thread Perl as a Platform? by dshahin

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post, it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":


  • Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!
  • Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.
  • Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.
  • Please read these before you post! —
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:
    a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr
  • You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)
            For:     Use:
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    [ &#91;
    ] &#93;
  • Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?
  • See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.