use Perl

I only mentioned this because git does have the concept of a stash (`git help stash`), which is distinct from the cache/index; I wasn't just nitpicking on the words.

You mean the "cache", not the "stash", right?

Here is a direct link to the PerlNET docs that show what you can do with it.

If all you want to do is calling some .NET code from Perl, then the Win32::CLR module on CPAN may be sufficient, but I have never tried it myself, so I don't know how well it works.

No, it is called the "Win32 API for 64-bit Windows" even by Microsoft. Well, at least it was for a while, now I think it is just called the "Windows API".

Seriously, changing the module name would be very bad for writing portable scripts because you would then have to import different modules depending on the native size of your pointers. That's something you don't really care about at the Perl level.

Core Perl doesn't use inline-assembly, so this is not an issue. A 64-bit version of ActivePerl for Windows has been available since 2006.

Win32::API however does use inline-assembly and therefore needs to be changed to either move the assembly code into separate files to be processed by an assembler, or needs to use the new intrinsic functions in newer versions of VC++.

Feel free to join libwin32@perl.org to discuss the details. :)

Does it? I tried a few examples, including the one in the docs above, and it doesn't seem to.

Don't know. I only tried the simple test below, and it did align the => signs nicely. Maybe you are talking about something else:

perl -MData::Dump -we "dd \%INC"

It was also written out of frustration with the formatting of Data::Dumper (it does alignment on => too).

Microsoft is running the 3rd annual Scripting Games competition, and this year they added a Perl division alongside VBScript and Windows PowerShell:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/funzone/games/default.mspx

The games have already begun on Friday, but the deadline for the first 2 events isn't until Wednesday morning, so it is not too late to enter and get a perfect score!

All Perl entries will be judged by running them with ActivePerl 5.10.0.1002, so you can start using all the new 5.10 features if you want.

The competitors pack is a self-extracting ZIP file containing additional data files needed for some challenges. It is provided as an .exe file (probably so it could be digitally signed), but you can unpack it with normal "unzip" too (this is just a subtle hint that the actual challenges are not platform specific; you just need to remember to prefix the path to any of the data files with C:/Scripts/ before you submit your scripts).

I'll be providing sample solutions and a running commentary for the Advanced Perl Division to the scripting guys at Microsoft, who will publish them from each events page after the deadline. They should also become linked from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/funzone/games/games08/experts.mspx

So let's show them that there are a sufficient number of Perl users that it is worthwhile keeping a Perl division in the Scripting Games for the upcoming years! :)

BTW, you also have a chance to win a Perl Dev Kit license if you enter the contest for at least a single event!

Microsoft is running the 3rd annual Scripting Games competition, and this year they added a Perl division alongside VBScript and Windows PowerShell:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/funzone/games/default.mspx

The games have already begun on Friday, but the deadline for the first 2 events isn't until Wednesday morning, so it is not too late to enter and get a perfect score!

All Perl entries will be judged by running them with ActivePerl 5.10.0.1002, so you can start using all the new 5.10 features if you want.

The competitors pack is a self-extracting ZIP file containing additional data files needed for some challenges. It is provided as an .exe file (probably so it could be digitally signed), but you can unpack it with normal "unzip" too (this is just a subtle hint that the actual challenges are not platform specific; you just need to remember to prefix the path to any of the data files with C:/Scripts/ before you submit your scripts).

I'll be providing sample solutions and a running commentary for the Advanced Perl Division to the scripting guys at Microsoft, who will publish them from each events page after the deadline. They should also become linked from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/funzone/games/games08/experts.mspx

So let's show them that there are a sufficient number of Perl users that it is worthwhile keeping a Perl division in the Scripting Games for the upcoming years! :)

BTW, you also have a chance to win a Perl Dev Kit license if you enter the contest for at least a single event!