Why is Perl Better than Python?

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Why is Perl better than Python?

Perl and Python are both on Earl Raymond's list of language to learn.

He also suggested learning Lisp, and that its only major implementation today is chat bots.

And Michael O'Church's list of the top six languages to learn doesn't include Perl.

Perl has been a mainstay of CGI for years.

That's because Perl was on almost every server around the time CGI was coming into the mainstream, while its ability to be sent as a text file meant you could send CGI files anywhere you needed.

Perl is still part of almost every Unix instance.

I can get Star-Office, too, but that does not mean it is good. I like Python because it is very easy to learn.

You can't use it for large system applications, or rather, shouldn't.

Python can be used to solve math problems, build simple apps, create games and a lot of other purposes.

Both Python and Perl have seen their usage drop off in recent years, relative to the lines of new code created.

Python maxed out at around 7%, back in 2002, though it's stable at about 2% today. Perl has stayed around that level for the past ten years, never getting as big as Python.

Perl has more job openings than Python.

OK, employers paying for the skill set is a definite vote in its favor.

The number of Perl developers has been dropping over time. Python has remained steady.

The few things I can think that would even be in Perl's favor is the core interpreter, all the system administration tools and its strengths as a glue together interface.

That's probably because Perl was originally used for system administration. That's probably why it does the interfacing so well, too, since it was designed to support lots of applications on the same server.

So Perl has its uses, but both languages are getting supplanted by PHP.