what purpose were the two languages created for? applications, object manipulation, text manipulation....?
i have a number of books on both languages, and id like to know which one does what.
2006-09-14 16:44:29 · 6 answers · asked by Jon 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
they both can do the same things.
they have thier strengths,
perl is easier to code, harder to read. great peer support
python is pretty and has good peer support.
learn both....
but if you want to compare, compare perl 6 to python.... no more legacy goofiness.
2006-09-14 17:56:22 · answer #1 · answered by jake cigar™ is retired 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know for sure Perl was invented as a quick & dirty way text manipulation in doing administrative work Larry Wall had to do in UNIX.
Therefore it is quite messy, but since now languages like Java, Python, and few others caught on with the strength of manipulation and framework that was half-baked in Perl the use of it is quite rare and phasing out from mainstream work.
Python I have no idea, other than it was duplication of what's good with other language before it. It ran half compiled a bit like Java bbytecode and .Net CLR.
Both are loosely-typed scripting languages but Python is aware of types in assertion. I think you know that part already.
2006-09-15 00:23:15 · answer #2 · answered by Andy T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are both scripting languages, however Python is a 'high-level' scripting language which can be used to develop applications. Python is an object oriented language.
Perl to some extent is outdated, but you will see lots of Unix admins swear on its greatness. Python is more strongly typed ( a carry over from C) and Perl is pretty loose. I have heard some real horror stories about having to update old perl code.
If I were you I would chose Python to learn first. It is platform independent, has many free modules for scientific applications, web templating systems, web servers and integration, backend connectors to many databases, etc.... It is pretty broad
2006-09-14 23:57:33 · answer #3 · answered by rocketman33 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perl is a scripting language is used to do small system administration task. It is also used to create dynamic webpages, CGI, interact with databases. They are not typically used to building desktop applications, but can do object manipulation, text stuff, etc.
Python does about the same, but I've talked to people at Python and the new version allows you to do anything you want, manipulate the call stack, frames, etc. I've seen python used with GTK2 to build desktop apps on linux. There alot of them around.
2006-09-14 23:49:06 · answer #4 · answered by costco.mart 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perl is a good language because it's linux based and can be used to create server scripts. Perl can also be used to create good CGI.
Python is used to create applications and can be used to create games.
2006-09-14 23:47:14 · answer #5 · answered by Robin C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Primarily text manipulation (like replacing text in a file, or reading xml files) and unix/linux system scripting is their main purpose, and the main thing they are good for.
If you want to create web applications, I would recommend looking into PHP instead. If you want to create desktop applications, then look into either C# or VB.NET or Java.
2006-09-14 23:54:25 · answer #6 · answered by D 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋