Comment by GuB-42
5 days ago
> The tool, called DevGen.AI, translates code in older languages, such as Perl (released in 1987), into plain English, which developers can then use as a basis for rewriting the code into newer languages like Python.
... (released in 1991). Yes, Perl is much older /s
Both Perl and Python are from the same generation, and both are active and both have their latest release in 2025. It is just that Python is more popular now.
The real reason is that besides losing in popularity, Perl is notoriously difficult to read, and yet has a huge existing code base, so I guess it is a good target for an AI parser.
> Both Perl and Python are from the same generation, and both are active and both have their latest release in 2025.
I don't think that's what they mean by "Python" or "Perl". It sounds like they have a sizeable ancient Perl codebase that they want to replace with Python due to practical reasons. No one cares if Perl's first release was a couple of years before Python's. What matters is the company's ability to maintain and extend their codebase.
Also that Python has successfully transitioned its community to Python 3, while Perl 6 flamed out, changed its name, and left the Perl community slowly atrophying.