Does Windows have Perl?

Windows does not come with Perl preinstalled by default, unlike many Unix-like systems where Perl is typically available out of the box. However, you can easily install Perl on Windows using well-maintained distributions like Strawberry Perl or ActivePerl, both of which provide a full Perl environment including the Perl interpreter, standard modules, and commonly used tools.

Why Windows Doesn't Include Perl Out of The Box

Windows is primarily a GUI-based operating system where many users may not need a command-line scripting language by default. Unlike Linux or macOS, which are Unix-based and include Perl for scripting and system management, Microsoft does not bundle Perl with Windows installations.

How to Get Perl on Windows

• Strawberry Perl: A popular free and open-source Perl distribution delivering a near-complete Unix-like Perl environment, including a compiler (gcc) for installing XS modules. You can download it from strawberryperl.com.
• ActivePerl: Provided by ActiveState, it offers a stable Perl distribution with a package manager but has licensing restrictions for commercial use. Visit activestate.com/products/perl to download.
• WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux): On Windows 10 and 11, you can enable WSL and run a Linux environment with Perl preinstalled depending on your Linux distribution.

Verifying Perl Installation on Windows

After installing Perl via Strawberry or ActivePerl, open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run:

perl -v

This should print the installed Perl version, confirming Perl is accessible in your PATH environment.

Simple Perl Script Example

Here is a minimal Perl program that should run on any Perl installation on Windows or other platforms. It prints the Perl version and demonstrates basic Perl syntax, including the use of the $^V special variable (holds Perl version) and the say function (requires Perl 5.10+).

use 5.010; # Require Perl 5.10 or newer for 'say'

# Print Perl version
say "Hello from Perl version $^V";

# Demonstrate scalar and array usage
my $name = 'Windows User';
my @features = ('cross-platform', 'TMTOWTDI', 'rich CPAN');

say "Perl to $name:";
say "Perl is known for features like:";
foreach my $feature (@features) {
    say "- $feature";
}

Additional Tips

• PATH Setup: Ensure during installation you add Perl to your system PATH so that perl commands are recognized anywhere in the CLI.
• Perl Versions: Sometimes multiple Perl versions can coexist — verify which perl.exe runs using where perl in Command Prompt.
• Script Execution Policy: On newer Windows versions, be mindful of execution policies that might restrict running scripts.
• Line Endings: Perl handles Windows CRLF line endings gracefully, but if you share scripts across platforms, consider using autoflush or correct text editors.

In summary, Windows itself doesn’t include Perl by default, but installing a version like Strawberry Perl is straightforward and provides a powerful Perl environment suitable for development and scripting on Windows.