In the arena of CGI, it seems PHP has now become more popular than perl for newbies and even veteran coders.
If only that would be true! Then Perl can shake off the idea
that it's a web programming language.
If people are looking for speed, they tend to use C or Java for their applications.
While people might use Java if they are looking for speed,
Java isn't their best choice.
Does perl have a distinct advantage in any particular programming task?
Distinct advantage over what? Compared to any specific language, it won't be hard to find a distinct advantage.
OTOH, it will be hard to find an advantage of Perl that
it holds compared to all languages.
I program in Perl5 because it's fun. It's like exploring a
partially enchanted, partially cursed mediaeval castle, filled with treasure, dragons, elves and cunning traps and
surrounded by an enormous forest populated by a wide range
of inhabitants.
(Unlike perl6 which more looks like a 18th century French
palace, with a well-kept, but boring park surrounding it.
Java is an apartment building with no greens surrounding it.)
Abigail