Well, to take a different tack from the direction that I suspect most others will be taking... I'd like to take exception to your comment that you have "already wasted too much time learning... Perl". I believe that every programming language / structure / whatever is worth learning. Not only for the ability to pad your resume [:-) implied], but because there _are_ valid cross-polination results.

My primary development languages these days are Perl, C/C++ and Java. I don't program exclusively in any of them. I pick the right tool for the right job. And, at the same time, I can honestly say that learning each of them helps me to do a better job in the others.

Back when I was in college, most of the CS students were making sure they took COBOL classes because that was the way to guarantee you got a job. [Yes, it was that long ago...] I studiously avoided "officially" taking COBOL. "Real programmers don't use sissy-fied langauges", after all. That didn't stop me from studying it on my own time, though, because it enabled me to help other students who were having problems with their programs. It also gave me a better appreciation for what they were suffering through. If nothing else, learning COBOL let me understand what a horrible language it was. :-)

Perhaps that's the way you want to treat your knowledge of Perl and the time you've spent learning it. If so, however, please don't denigrate those of us who use the language and enjoy what it allows us to do.