Juan - I'm no Java or Perl expert, but I deal with our Java developers a lot. However, since I doubt whether we have many experts on Java and Perl on this list, here are my thoughts for what they are worth: 1. If you truly see Java on your career path, go for it. Nothing like a real project to pique your interest, even if you must spend more effort up-front. 2. I think every DBA should learn Perl. That language is just too handy and too popular to overlook. 3. How quickly you can master any language depends on your prior experience. If you know Unix scripting languages and are familiar with the C language, then you can master Perl very quickly. 4. I have observed our developers going through Java training, and it seems to take them a long time to master anything. To do some tasks that come very easily to Perl could take a long time for a Java novice to master. Now none of these people had any significant O-O background. Depending on your background this competence may come more quickly for you. 5. In general, eventually any task can be accomplished in any language. However, from what I've seen, the tasks Perl does best aren't easily done in any other language. On the other hand, I wouldn't attempt some Java tasks with Perl. For the most part, I think each language does what it does best. For example, when Oracle added a JVM to the database, the rumor immediately arose that PL/SQL was being discontinued. Eventually people figured out that the two coexist -- what PL/SQL does well it does very well, and Java is handy for things that PL/SQL doesn't really address. Dennis Williams DBA Lifetouch, Inc. -----Original Message----- From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Juan Carlos Reyes Pacheco Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:11 AM To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: :) What you can't do in java you can do in perl Before anything apologizes to Jared, because he is not only on of the best expert in perl, but too loves Perl. But as you know I'm a developer too (that is the reason for the strange behaviour), so I have to learn java anyway, and java is into oracle too, so this will be useful two times. I was dowloaded every thing to start to use perl, and I was going to buy Jared's dba on Perl book, but I asked my self, why to use perl if I can use java too do the same software done in perl. I had investigated, and the reason to use perl, is not perl by itself, else the lots of libraries done to oracle, including graphics, etc. (and free) But my question is if someone who knows could please answer. What you can do in perl, you can't do in java.? Or why to use perl if you are an expert in java (I'm not but I'll have to be if I want to keep my job)? Juan Carlos Reyes Pacheco OCP -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l