>> If it's difficult to find great Perl developers, that's because [fewer] great developers flock to Perl. > I would like to see non-anecdotal evidence for this

>> If it's difficult to find great Perl developers, that's because [fewer] great developers flock to Perl. > I would like to see non-anecdotal evidence for this. No non-anecdotal evidence for this, sorry. It's just a result of thinking about what Perl offers and what current languages offer. I know Perl quite well, you know. >> Heck, even the humble Javascript allows you to perform mind-bending dynamic feats. > It's also borrowing features Perl has had for years. Hm. Right. Just like Perl borrows features from other languages. >> Other languages offer multiplatform support (native, Java, .NET) which Perl lacks. > That definition of "multiplatform" differs from mine. Perl 5 runs on more platforms than the CLR and JVM do. My comment is not about platform themselves. It was more about: "I need to hook this Java/.NET library" and then there are languages where you can just switch platform (interpreter or compiler) to interface such a library natively. See, Chromatic, when I met Perl I was amazed by its capabilities and progressed to read advanced books about this language. But nowadays, after meeting other languages, I regret my time spent with Perl, and I wouldn't recommend such language to anyone, just like I wouldn't do that with C++, another language in which I have progressed to what I think is almost "wizardry". After a lot of time spent in learning different languages, I do think that there are languages not worth learning. It may sound arrogant, but I think so, and I think that experienced developers have the right to think so and make newcomers spare time. Do you think Perl is worth learning? You are entitled to that. Don't I think it is? I'm entitled too. And both of us are entitled to share our experience.