Try Flash ActionScript 3

Really. It is similar to Java, yet will allow you to really get your OOP gears moving, *plus* because you can easily manipulate visual objects (boxes, bouncing red balls, whatever) you can actually *see* the results of your coding.

Re-learning how to do the exact same things you already know how to do in Perl, in another language can be boring at best and frustrating at worst. I recommend you learn another language that can help you build on what you already know. Build a Flash front-end to a Perl back-end, connecting the dots between the two via JSON. You'll do some learning and gain some skills in the process.

ActionScript 3 is quite similar to Java and C#, yet with the scripty feeling of JavaScript. Here is an example:

package com.vw {

  import flash.display.*
  import com.vw.*;
  import flash.events.*;
  import flash.utils.*;
  import flash.geom.Rectangle;

  public class MainScreen extends MovieClip {

    public var controls:MovieClip;
    public var viewPort:MovieClip;
    public var imageCanvas:MovieClip;
    public var navigator:MovieClip;

    public function MainScreen() {
      // Empty constructor:
    }


    public function init() :void {
      App.Trace(this + "::init()");

      controls.init();
      stage.align = StageAlign.TOP_LEFT;
      stage.addEventListener(Event.RESIZE, handle_resize);
      setTimeout(function():void {
        handle_resize(new Event("dummy_event"));
        imageCanvas.init();
        navigator.init();
      },1);


      controls.addEventListener("zoomLevel_changed", zoomLevel_changed
+);
    }


    private function zoomLevel_changed(e:Event) :void {
      dispatchEvent(e);
    }


    private function handle_resize(e:Event) :void {
      App.Trace("stage.stageWidth: " + stage.stageWidth);
      viewPort.width = stage.stageWidth;
      viewPort.height = stage.stageHeight - controls.height;
      viewPort.y = 60;
      viewPort.x = (stage.stageWidth / 2) - (viewPort.width / 2);

      var orig:Object = {
        width: 900,
        height: 550
      };
      if( x > 0 )
        x = 0;

      // Move the controls so that they are centered:
      controls.x = (stage.stageWidth / 2) - (controls.width / 2);
      if( controls.x < 0 )
        controls.x = 0;

      // Move the navigator so that it is bottom-right justified:
      navigator.x = viewPort.width - navigator.width - 20;
      navigator.y = viewPort.height - navigator.height + controls.heig
+ht - 20;

      // Move the log too:
      App.log.x = 20;
      App.log.y = viewPort.height - App.log.height + controls.height -
+ 20;

      dispatchEvent( new Event("resized"));
    }
  }
}
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