There are many ways to answer this question. Are you interested in syntax? end user experience? compiler/interpreter implementations? portability? technical resources and support?

To answer this question well one needs to take into account a variety of perspectives. Googling is a great way to get essays covering all these different questions (be sure to check links beyond the first few google hits so you get a true range of opinions).

In case you had trouble thinking of good search terms, here is a link with some fruitful search terms: compare perl to C

Best, beth

Alternate fruitful search terms: perl versus c

In my opinion, Perl allows you to focus on the problems you want to solve without having to worry as much about the computer.

Some simple comparative examples include no need to allocated memory as you do in C and no strong typing in Perl.

For example, in Perl to make a string you just declare it.

my $string = "This is my string";
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Notice that I didn't have to allocate any memory for the variable either.

There are probably many other comparisons but the basic summation in my opinion is that Perl will allow you to focus more on your problems once you get over the initial learning curve and less on the particulars of dealing with memory management and strong typing.

For example, in Perl to make a string you just declare it.

my $string = "This is my string";
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Oh, yes, that's so different from C:

char *string = "This is my string";
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Come on, if this is the best you can come up for something that's different between Perl and C, there would be no reason to bother with Perl.

Yes, and then

$string .= ". And now it's longer.";
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is just like ... erm ... how was that ... (I will not even try).

Jenda
Enoch was right!
Enjoy the last years of Rome.

Come on, if this is the best you can come up for something that's different between Perl and C, there would be no reason to bother with Perl.

That is easy target for criticism. Please you provide a reason.