An important question is how one positions Perl and Java in the programming language landscape.

Obviously, both are general purpose languages and each problem that can be solved in Perl can be solved in Java and vice versa... well, at least in some way, though the solution that's obvious in one language may be a nightmare to implement in the other.

As an example, just try and do some system administration tasks in Java: well, no one is even trying. Try to do some simple data transformations and manipulations in Java, it will only increase your love for Perl.

Perl has definitely made its mark in server side web programming, even before Java became a hype, let alone a hit. But here's an important point: Perl has traditionally been used for CGI programming, which -- at least without mod_perl -- requires a separate process for each incoming request. When using Java Servlets, this is not the case since those processes are instantiated at startup of the server. Moreover, servlets can be stateful, while this is a pain to achieve with CGI. So yes, for web programming Java has an edge for certain applications.

From a developer's point of view, both languages have their merits. Perl is flexible and allows for very fast development. Java is more strongly typed, has a cleaner syntax and is more disciplined, making it a better choice for "things that are to last" (although a lot depends on the programmer, it's easy to write ugly code in Java too).

The conclusion could -- and I think should -- be that there's such a thing as the right tool for the job, at least if the one handling the tool knows how to wield it.

What could you have done differently: well, emphasize that Perl is not limited to web programming, but is a very versatile tool for data munching and sysadmin, something that should be important in a course on UNIX.

Just my 2 cents, -gjb-