Let me get this straight. It started with a small Perl 4 style script, written in Perl 5 by a hubristic C programmer? Did the basher rewrite it in bash? Or just add some bash to the existing Perl 4-style Perl 5 script? Did the Java fan boy rewrite the whole thing in Java, or just add some Java to the existing Perl 4-style Perl 5/bash hybrid? ... I agree that a "Perl4-style Perl 5-bash-Java hybrid" written by a C programmer is probably ripe for a complete rewrite. :)

my second project ever was a complete rewrite of the crap I wrote in my first project. After I discovered how it really should be done

Sure, this can work well ... like the Perl 5 rewrite of Perl 4 ... or not so well, like the Perl 6 rewrite of Perl 5. :) Beware the Second-system effect.