The books will get you an idea of the philosphy behind Perl 6, and partly behind parrot.

But since they were published, much has changed, including parts of the syntax.

So if you want to learn Perl 6, checkout the pugs svn repository, read the examples and test cases, read the Synopsis, and hang out on #perl6 on irc.freenode.org and bug everyone with your questions.

If you have longer questions that aren't suitable for IRC discussoins, post them here (with a [Perl 6] hint in the title).

The perl-6-on-parrot implementation comes with parrot in the languages/perl6 directory and it is progressingly nicely (to distinguish it from the other perl 6 implementations the parrot implementation has been called "rakudo").

Which two books are they?

The only one I can find is Perl 6 and Parrot Essentials, Second Edition, unless you're including the first edition.

I've recently read the 2^nd edition and liked it very much. Pretty much 1/3 Perl 6, 1/3 PASM, and 1/3 PIR, and about half of the two Parrot sections contain the standard reference for the opcodes for PASM and PIR. It seems it's intention is to pique your attention for Parrot as much as for Perl 6, and it almost made me want to take up PASM and do some pseudo-assembly work (reality check => Perl skills revision more important).

I like the changes being made for Perl 6. It's also clearly explained why Perl 6 programs will be shorter and easier to read (excluding purposeful obfuscation) and write than Perl 5. Some nifty tweaks and $foo.baa($baz) method calls, oh and a distinction between sub and method which helps you remember WTF that subroutine was really for. It looks like Perl 6 will be worth breaking backwards compatiblity, but it's Perl so you can use a Perl program to upgrade your old code.

I kind of want to get hold of the 1^st edition and see how much it changed... the inclusion of Parrot most likely

PS: I have had some exposure to linguistic theory and formal methods so there was a lot of "between the lines" stuff that came through for me. Who said you don't learn anything from failing token philosophy papers.

The other one is BOOK Perl 6 Essentials By Allison Randal; Dan Sugalski; Leopold Tötsch
So you are right, it is the same book.

Thanks for your comments. I think I will give it a read, and definitely look "between the lines".

—John

BTW "Perl 6 and Parrot Essentials" has been open sourced, in the hope that it will be kept up to date by the community.

I know that the Perl 6 part has seen some updates (it lives here in the pugs repository), the parrot half lifes in the parrot repository). It has updates as well, but I suspect that both parts aren't in a shape where you'd call them "up to date".

So if you're intersted in newer changes, you can also look at the diffs against the book. And if you want to contribute - don't hesitate to submit patches.