Python vs. Perl, which is better to learn?

[Patrick W]

aahz at pythoncraft.com (Aahz) writes:

> In article <82bsbvl5q1.fsf at acropolis.localdomain>,
> Patrick W  <quitelikely at yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> >
> >Seems to me that C -> C# -> [Python / Lispy language] could facilitate
> >a *really* nice layered approach. I just hope this possibility isn't
> >sabotaged by political/legal issues, and becomes a genuine
> >multi-platform solution.
> 
> Why use C# at all?

No genuine need of course, but I think there *is* a sizeable sweet
spot that lies somewhere between C and Python in terms of abstraction
capabilities, speed, coding convenience, etc.

I can't muster any enthusiasm *at all* for Java. But I _do_ like
C#. For a good example of why, check out the source code for the GPL'd
SharpDevelop IDE, and see how clean and comprehensible it is. It's
hard to imagine a C++ version being half as comprehensible, or a Java
version being anywhere near as fast.

The way I see it, if there's a decent intermediate-level language that
fills a niche between C and Python, I might avoid it for political
reasons, but not for technical ones. (So until it gains a foothold
outside of the Microsoft-only world, I'll only be dabbling with it).

Cheers,
P.