I think Perl has a bright future. It is a highly useful and versatile language that allows you to write anything from a quick little one-shot script, to a massive program filled with OO goodies. It's here to stay for the next several years, at least (IMNSHO).

I think, however, that we often forget that much of what we think of as basic to a programming *language*, is simply programming itself. Loops are loops, however you implement them. The details will vary between languages, but the concept is the same.

To me, the hard part of programming isn't learning the idiom, but developing the logic. Once I figure out how something should happen, converting that concept into some language is relatively simple. True - Perl makes it much simpler than other languages I've tried, but still - the hard part is figuring out just what needs to be done, and in what order.

Probably the best course is to become relatively fluent in at least a few languages, even if you decide to concentrate most of your efforts on one. The more you know, the more options are available to you.