You forgot to add that Perl is also pretty fast, in terms of execution: http://roboprogs.com/devel/2009.12.html http://roboprogs.com/devel/2009.12.html For sm

You forgot to add that Perl is also pretty fast, in terms of execution: http://roboprogs.com/devel/2009.12.html http://roboprogs.com/devel/2009.12.html For small tasks, Perl is my language of choice. Of course, there are no small Java programs - every data structure requiring a separate class, and every class (in some shops) requiring a separate source file, etc. A small amount of Perl can get much done. I like being able to write small functions with clearly defined inputs and outputs, even if a routine has multiple outputs (suck on that, java!). Contrast with the 500 line java subroutine with 100 separate variables blendered around (no clear data flow) written by some apathetic slob. I have only had one project large enough in Perl to justify OOP techniques, years ago. I've given up trying to persuade The Management to use Perl. It's just too much easier to find java work, especially here in the wilderness (Sacramento area).