I don't like languages for weak programmers that protect them, though I will say it's easier to make an error in Perl than it is in Ruby, and that one can program in Ruby without thinking of dark corners of it much more so than Perl. Perl is great, I love it, and criticism coming from someone who loves the language is REAL. We aren't saying "Java is teh ROXXOR, Perl SUUUUKKZ", but rather sharing experiences between two languages of similar capability.

Or more bluntly -- Ruby is a nicer and more eloquent Perl.