I have a question regarding scripting languages.
What are the differences between bash/perl/python, when I should use one and when the others … what are the strong points of these scripting languages.I’m new to Linux and till now I read some materials about bash and also I use it a couple of times but from the forum and also from the web I saw that perl/python are very used?
What language should I learn after bash?And why?(I know that I should learn both of them but which should be the first?)
Bash is mostly for command scripting and process control. Compared to languages like Python and Perl, bash doesn’t have a rich set of data structures, its main data structure is the string, and the array, added in bash.
Python and Perl occupy roughly the same application space. You will find proponents for both Python and Perl. You can guess what their philosophies are from the slogans: Python: There is one right way to do it. Perl: There is more than one way to do it. I would probably recommend Python to you for the discipline, even though I personally prefer Perl.
I’d certainly suggest learning enough bash to understand the various scripts that form part of the openSUSE distribution, and also to be able to write similar scripts for your own use. Many minor annoyances can be wrapped up in a bash script and forgotten.
I’ve resisted learning python until recently, and I have to say I’m very impressed with both the philosophy of the language and on a practical note by the number of useful libraries that are available.