Python vs. Perl, which is better to learn?

[Brett g Porter]

"John J. Lee" <jjl at pobox.com> wrote in message
news:Pine.SOL.4.30.0205062138200.23130-100000 at mimosa.csv.warwick.ac.uk...
> On Mon, 6 May 2002, DeepBleu wrote:
> [...]
> > I can not understand how anyone can even recommend Perl, a beat up
clunky
> > ugly language, for a project in a modern setting.
>
> Perl has masses of free library code.  If there's reusable code in Perl
> and not in Python, it makes sense to use Perl.  Admittedly, that didn't
> stop me porting a package from Perl recently, just so I could use Python
> instead...
Doesn't that depend on other factors? If the Python code is likely to be
significantly more maintainable than 'equivalent' Perl code, there's a
margin where it makes more sense to write fresh code in Python (taking a hit
up front) instead of paying more to maintain that code down the road.

If it's one-shot disposable code and you're equally proficient in both, you
may be right. I can't remember writing much disposable code that hasn't
outlived its original planned lifespan, though...