Re:reluctant VB programmer (Score 1)

Not to start a language war, but in a case like that, if the person isn't comfortable with Perl, point them towards Python. The two languages are more or less equivalent in what they can do, and it really is just a matter of preference: Perl goes for symbolic representation and flexibility of expression, and Python goes more for object orientedness and readability. For what its worh, I use Perl for quick text- or file-handling tasks, and Python for more elaborate stuff.