Instead of Perl vs. VB, one option is to use Perl and VB. Personally, I prefer to use Perl as my programming language, but I do like VB for creating the GUI on Windows systems. With ActiveState's PDK, you can use PerlCtrl to make a DLL that will allow you to call your Perl code from within VB. The disadvantages of the approach is that it is Windows-specific and costs money. But if you are already familiar with Perl/VB AND your target audience is Windows only, it may be an approach to consider.

Regards, chinman