I've learnt Perl for this very reason. It is extremely capable, extensible and still very backwards-compatible. It feels like an evolution of bash but much more

I've learnt Perl for this very reason. It is extremely capable, extensible and still very backwards-compatible. It feels like an evolution of bash but much more performant. A bit of a shame that it's seen as an anachronism to many. Perl soon rubs off on you and becomes a delight.