Python vs. Perl, which is better to learn?

[Peter Hansen]

Chris wrote:
> 
> In article <m3lmaxuacu.fsf at chvatal.cbbrowne.com>,
>  Christopher Browne <cbbrowne at acm.org> wrote:
> 
> > Outside of that, I'd suggest that a lot of the problem comes from Perl
> > having been a "hot, in-language" attracting a lot of bad programmers.
> >
> Exactly.  You can write bad code in any language.  On the other hand,
> you can write really good, robust, readable, maintainable code in Perl.
> 
> Programming is about 99% concepts and 1% syntax, if that much even. A
> poorly written Python program that can be easily read is still poorly
> written.

More out of curiosity than an intention of starting a flame war, but
would someone post a snippet of twenty or so lines of Perl which they
believe is "readable"?

I've been looking at Ruby code in another group, and I can only assume
that Ruby is considered even by Perl programmers to be more readable
and "clean" than Perl.  I find it significantly less readable than
Python however, so I would find the claim that Perl can be very readable
to be a stretch.

(Note, however, I agree with the comments above... but we were talking 
about readability, not good/bad code.  I believe even good Perl is much
less readable than moderately bad Python, thus limiting its effectiveness
as a language for large programs, even in the hands of excellent 
programmers.)

-wait,-did-i-say-i-wasn't-starting-a-flame-war-ly yr's,
 Peter