Python is less than 5 years younger than Perl. JS is less than 10 years younger. Your examples are both three decades old.
More importantly: why does reading about someone using Perl cause you to “balk”? That’s the issue my comment was lamenting, this attitude that everyone should be using something “acceptable”.
Before Perl, it was mostly unacceptable to use a dynamic language in a business. That sea change alone is revolutionary enough that you’d think there would be some room for a little respect or even curiosity, if nothing else.
But that’s not the case and I think that this kind of ahistorical close mindedness (not specific to Perl, to be clear) is a newer feature of programmer culture. And I think it’s worth lamenting its pervasiveness.
Indeed, but while those contemporaries (really? a decade difference? In programming land? That's multiple paradigm shifts but sure why not) grew up and evolved to keep appealing to an every changing crowd, Perl 5 didn't, for better or for worse.
But compared to C style languages, it's going to be "for worse". Perl code is not easy to read unless you already know Perl, or someone intentionally wrote it inefficiently enough to be easy to read to people who don't.
That's why I balk at it. Using Perl in 2025 because you have to: sure, we all have responsibilities. Using Perl in 2025 because you like working in it: also sure, enjoy what you enjoy. Talking about the Perl code you wrote to do something cool: pretty cool, nice job! But that won't stop me from also going "but: really? Perl? In 2025? You couldn't have picked a modern language?".
More importantly: why does reading about someone using Perl cause you to “balk”? That’s the issue my comment was lamenting, this attitude that everyone should be using something “acceptable”.
Before Perl, it was mostly unacceptable to use a dynamic language in a business. That sea change alone is revolutionary enough that you’d think there would be some room for a little respect or even curiosity, if nothing else.
But that’s not the case and I think that this kind of ahistorical close mindedness (not specific to Perl, to be clear) is a newer feature of programmer culture. And I think it’s worth lamenting its pervasiveness.