What's the best way to learn perl for a python programmer?

[Serge Orlov]

vj wrote:
> I've been given a project which requires writing scripts that need to
> be run on over 3000 servers. Only about 15% of them have python
> installed on them. While all/most of them will have perl.

I used to work for a company with hundreds of development workstations
and build/test servers, different operating systems (add to the mixture
regular disk failures and regular hiring of new people). Everything was
controlled by pretty big perl scripts and people who maintained all the
tools found that using perl from distributions was a hassle because of
differences between perl versions and the need to install it if OS
doesn't have it. So they just built several (for different
OSes/archetectures) relocatable distributions of perl and put them on a
network drive. That turned out to be more reliable and more easy to
maintain.

You can do the same with python.

> I'll try and do as much as possible in pexpect but am sure I'll have do
> some significant perl. Any suggestions on what is the best way to get
> upto speed on perl?

Forget about perl :)