Rodger Castle — Legacy Perl & Linux Specialist
I've been writing Perl professionally for nearly 20 years, building and maintaining a production inventory management system used by online booksellers. That system handles database operations, server infrastructure, and live integrations with Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, Alibris, and others — and I manage the Linux servers it runs on. If you have Perl code that runs your business and you need someone who takes that seriously, that's what I do.
What I Do
Legacy Perl Maintenance & Extension
Your Perl code works. You need to keep it that way, or add something new without breaking what's already running. I can read someone else's code, understand what it actually does, and work in it carefully — whether that's fixing a bug, adding a feature, or just making sure it survives an OS upgrade.
Emergency Support
Production is down and you needed it fixed yesterday. I'm comfortable in that situation. If your Perl system has gone sideways and you need someone who can dig in fast without panicking, that's a call I'll pick up.
Platform Integrations
I've built and maintained integrations with Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, Alibris, and similar platforms — inventory sync, data feeds, API wrangling. If you're pushing and pulling data between your system and the outside world, I've probably dealt with a version of that problem.
Linux Server Administration
Setup, configuration, security hardening, firewall rules, production upgrades — primarily on AlmaLinux and the RHEL family. I've navigated the CentOS transition and kept production systems running through it.
Migration Consulting
If you're planning to move off Perl, the hardest part usually isn't writing the new code — it's understanding what the old code actually does. I can help you document, map, and make sense of a legacy system so your rewrite starts from solid ground.
Who I Work Best With
I do my best work with small teams and solo operators — people where the system is the business and there's no bureaucracy between "something's broken" and "let's fix it." If you're the person who owns the problem, we'll get along fine.
You don't need to know Perl yourself. You just need to care that your system works, and trust the person you've hired to handle it. I'll tell you what I'm doing and why in plain language, not technobabble.
I'm probably not the right fit if you need someone to navigate approval chains, write extensive documentation for internal stakeholders, or sit in a lot of meetings. I'm a fix-it person, not a process person.
If your situation is urgent — production down, deadline looming, something that was working yesterday isn't today — don't hesitate to reach out. That's not an inconvenience. That's actually my favorite kind of problem.