I agree with you but I think the underlying topic here is installing Perl based software on machines over which you have no control. Having to ship a full version of Perl just to do that is a bit of burden compared to be able to rely on, say, the core features of 5.6/5.8, which really should be stable and available (excepting a couple caveats like CGI) even now.

Python's instability as an install tool (v2/v3 incompatibility) is what soured me on it before I tried anything but installing third party stuff using it. Well, that and the too often rabid community. Hate to hear the same kind of broken experience is in the cards for first time exposure to Perl.

Update: Of course, I just checked and version isn’t core. DERP, it is, checked badly, first in 5.9 :P