This section applies for all unix-based systems like Linux, Sun Solaris, Free BSD, HP UX, SGI IRIX etc. Perl was initially developed on unix platforms and therefore is an integral part of unix based platforms. All the unix based OS distributions we know about include Perl in their distribution. Perl interpreter (the 'perl' command) is usually located in /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin directory.

Setup notes:

Even if Perl is already installed on the Unix machines, the following set up instructions help use Perl more effectively:

1. Set the PATH variable. This makes Perl accessible from any directory without worrying about its actual location. Depending on the shell you are using, append the location of the Perl executable to the PATH variable value.
2. Make '#!/usr/bin/perl' (without the quotes) the first line of any of your Perl script. Vect generated Perl programs always include this line, so don't remove it! This let the OS recognize that this script has to be run with the Perl interpreter.
3. Give execution permissions to the Perl scripts produced by Vect, using the 'chmod a+x' command. Steps 2 & 3 together make the Perl script executable, so that any Perl script can be run without explicitly invoking the Perl interpreter itself.