"Using perl -e allows you to specify a script right on the command line. It's a powerful, underused feature even for people who use Perl regularly. Perl's powerful command line options make it a more flexible replacement for sed, awk, and even vi. Combine perl -e with the command line editing capability of modern shells and you can, write, test, and debug in record time.
"The -p option tells Perl to act as a stream editor similar to sed and awk. Perl with the -e and -p options can make a nice addition to your Unix toolbox. Perl has a more familiar syntax than sed and awk for C programmers, and much more powerful programming constructs..."
