I've had some programming experience before with an intro Java class and working in a Bioinformatics lab. I got this book as a reference, and also to make sure that I had really covered all of my basics. I found this book to very clear, and explanations and code complement each other nicely. Tisdall doesn't get into the nitty gritty of Perl, but instead explains in common language everything you need about Perl to get started and programming something useful. As you're studying, it does help to check the online Perldocs for more information on the details of Perl functions, since Tisdall doesn't go into them. I'm looking forward to getting Tisdall's next book, Mastering Perl for Bioinformatics, to dive deeper into how to apply Perl to research!
