system('nmap', $target);
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Using the this method, the shell will be bypassed so you don't have to worry about converting the value of $target into a shell literal.

system( nmap $target);

Not exactly sure if that's what you're asking, but system() expects either a single string as the command to run

system("nmap $target");
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or a list of values

system("nmap", $target);
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system (qq(nmap "$target"));
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Also, your line my ($target); should be my $target;. Don't add extra parens because they are pretty to you—that will bite you later because that is not the actual syntax. You are specifying list context there. Normally when list context is needed you might say (my $s)=func_returning_list();, with the my on the inside. Note that you would not say my ($x,$y) as that is actually a syntax error.

—John

Normally when list context is needed you might say (my $s)=func_returning_list();, with the my on the inside

my ($s) causes list context too.

Note that you would not say my ($x,$y) as that is actually a syntax error.

That works fine here on perl 5.10.0 and on any earlier perl I can remember

$ perl -Mstrict -cwe 'my ($x,$y)'
-e syntax OK
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I must be getting old. I distinctly remember learning that lesson when Perl 5 was freshly minted. The grammar must have been "improved" since then. You are right about the latter for sure; how many times do I say

my ($x,$y,$z)= @_;
</code?

So the <code>my ($x)
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vs (my $x) must be (or have been) something more subtle.

I verified that it works as far back as 5.6.0, but I'm sure it worked even before that.

Normally when list context is needed you might say (my $s)=func_returning_list();, with the my on the inside.

Based on all the posts I've seen here, that's actually much rarer than my ($s). In fact, I rarely see (my $s). It's just too wordy. Compare

(my $x, my $y, my $z) = @_;
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with

my ($x, $y, $z) = @_;
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I was going to count the nodes with "(my" and count those with "my (", but I don't have a handy way of avoiding open(my $fh, ...). Despite that common construct seriously throwing off the count, "my (" still appears more often.

And of course, your code is subject to the shell equivalent of Bobby Tables.

Thank you for your quick response. And the reason why  $target was written the way it was is because it was orginally going to be mutiple varibles, and I forgot to remove the paraentheses when I took ou the other varible. But now I have a different problem I want to the success of the program. This is what I believe will work:

 
system( 'nmap', $ver, $os, $target ' -oG pentest.txt')=0 || print "Nma
+p failed! $!"; exit1;
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But there is probably a better way to write that. Any suggestions?