Perl is a high-level, general-purpose programming language well-suited for text processing, system administration, web development, and automation tasks. Developed by Larry Wall in 1987, Perl is known for its flexibility, strong support for regular expressions, and its comprehensive library of reusable modules.

Features of Perl:

• Powerful text and pattern matching using regular expressions.
• Cross-platform and open-source, available on most operating systems.
• Rich ecosystem with thousands of modules available via CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network).
• Supports procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming styles.

To check the version of Perl installed, run:

perl -v

Disclaimer: Perl is an open-source language provided under the Artistic License and the GNU General Public License. Users are encouraged to explore the CPAN repository and contribute to the Perl community.