Perl or Python? It used to be that you could learn as much about a computer programmer asking that question about scripting languages preferences as I could learn by asking a racing fan if they liked Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.
Not any more. Perl, which was regarded as really good for 'non-programmers' has lost a lot of ground, while Python is still popular. Python, which had once been kind of an also-ran, except for cutting-edge female programmers (no, I am not kidding - women embraced Python well before men), stole the show.
Conor Myhrvold at Fast Company has written a fascinating timeline, if it's the kind of thing the Science 2.0 audience cares about. You can all yell "C" if it helps. And Science 2.0 was written on a LAMP stack so we clearly don't follow trends.
The Fall Of Perl, The Web's Most Promising Language By Conor Myhrvold
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