Beginning Programming ALL-IN-ONE DESK REFERENCE FOR DUMMIES®

Chapter VI.3. Perl and Python

Perl and Python languages are both scripting languages meant to help programmers create something easily. The main difference between Perl and Python over traditional programming languages is their intended use.

Systems languages (such as C/C++) are meant to create standalone applications, such as operating systems or word processors, which is why systems languages are almost always compiled.

Scripting languages are meant more for linking different programs together, such as transferring data that someone types into a Web page and storing it in a database. As a result, scripting languages are almost always interpreted, which makes them more portable across different operating systems.

Systems languages are often known as type-safe because they force you to declare a specific data type (such as integer or string) for each variable. In contrast, scripting languages often allow a variable to hold anything it wants. One moment it may hold a string, the next an integer, and after that, a decimal number. Such typeless scripting languages give you greater flexibility at the possible expense of causing errors by variables containing unexpected data.

Perl's philosophy is that there's always more than one way to do it, so Perl often offers multiple commands that accomplish the exact same thing. The goal is to let you choose the way you like best.

Python takes the opposite approach and emphasizes a small and simple language that relies less on symbols (like C/C++) ...