(with apologies to Why Tcl is better than perl)

Perl (practical extraction and report language) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) have been locked in an endless debate since before Larry was a twinkle in Mr Wall's eye. Perl is used to manipulate DNA and, in a roundabout way, DNA is used to manipulate perl. There are many advantages to the more biological route.

• Simplicity - DNA is much simpler and easier to learn than perl. Perl has a complex syntax where most of the charcters on the keyboard have special meanings you have to memorise. As a result, you'll need to be an expert programmer to learn perl. DNA is just the opposite. To get started with DNA, all you need to learn is four basic nucleotides, plus a few simple rules governing how they translate into useful biology.
• Maintainability - people often refer to perl code as 'write-only'. If you come back to a perl script after a couple of months you probably won't be able to understand it anymore. DNA can be left for millions of years and remains perfectly readable. A perl script is correct if it's halfway readble and gets the job done before your boss fires you. DNA is correct if it's halfway readable and gets the job done before you become extinct.
• Graphical user interface - biology provides DNA with GUI facilities that are amazingly simple and powerful. There's nothing quite like it in any other language.
• Development tools - no more debugging or having to remember to make backups. DNA is self-repairing and self-replicating.
• Efficiency - DNA has parallel processing and built-in genetic algorithms, thus fitting enormous powerall into the size of a very small thing.
• Scope - DNA can be used in many more situations, for many more purposes, than perl. Perl is really a text manipulation language, whereas DNA is a more general application development language.