If there is anything I've learned from Linux, it's that competition is a good thing. We have upteen billion different window managers, CD programs, etc. It's great!

What am I getting at? PHP, Python, Java, and Ruby all have elements that can and will affect the future of Perl. They all "compete" against Perl in one or more ways. Competition is healthy.

Why are so many languages seemingly beating against Perl? Perl, being the ultimate glue language, can be applied in multiple environments -- thus it faces many competitors due to it's versatility. It is not specialized like PHP. Perl isn't going anywhere -- it already is *everywhere*.

Some recent trends away from Perl are due to cleanliness of the language (well, I don't get this -- I love Perl -- but anyway).... I predict the Python and Ruby hype machine to be well countered by Perl6, though --- if Perl6 can get out fast enough Python and Ruby will never attain "peer" status. Perl6 also has position to take a bit more java share, but this isn't a war. This is no corporate animal. We keep Perl around because we love it. Remember -- we shouldn't look to see these other languages fall, again, competition is a good thing.

Don't be worried about Perl's future. I'd be worried if you were a fan of Forth or Pascal or Cobol. Perl? "The future's so bright I've gotta wear shades".