People say don't use Ruby because of the small community outside of the web and others say don't use Perl because it's "old." I don't really like the syntax or Python that much(I know I know). Which would be the best choice for simple scripts, and to eventually move on to bigger projects.
Ruby on Rails---------(then Python,-------- then Perl)<p>Ruby is easier to pick up with a much more active community. It really depends what you want to build:<p>Python- If you need to build a site quickly that is mostly information based such as a blog or some kind of editorial site. I'd choose python with django. The automatic admin section is great for this type of task.<p>Ruby- If you need to build something with a lot of popular features (twitter, mash ups, simple shopping carts, etc..) and don't have time to really learn every little detail. Ruby using Rails might be a good solution as there are thousands of demo and live applications out there to borrow from. Should reduce your development time.<p>I throw out an line of demarkation....For example comparing the ways that Python and Ruby address Meta-programming, I think, will illuminate which for you is more interesting (which fits your brain better)<p>I use Ruby on Rails the most.<p>In the end...learn them all.
If you have a negative outlook on all 3, why not find a language that you do like, and start from there?<p>I think one of the easiest things to learn (the basics, not the fine intricacies) right now, thanks to the explosion of web technologies, is Javascript. You already have an environment to run it in (any browser), and if you actually like it, you can advance to something like Node (ignore the hyperbole around both it's magical properties and it's carcinogens) to write "bigger" projects in.<p>But overall, take pilot_pirxs' advice. He is spot on.
They are all great for simple scripting with the ability to move into larger scale projects. I've been highly productive in all three with ruby probably being my favourite as I liked the syntax and flow of it a lot more than the other two. From my experience perl readability was always the most difficult, coming back to something I wrote a couple weeks later I felt like it was complete gibberish whereas ruby was much easier. The ruby community is huge, the libraries are endless and there is no lack of documentation out there. In my opinion ruby is where you should start.
I just started studying a year or so ago, I looked around and saw more suggestions to start with Python than others. I don't remember seeing much about Ruby but I'm reading up on it as I get deeper into Python, they're relatively similar but I haven't had enough time with Ruby to understand it's philosophy.<p>Python is fun! I expect Ruby to be just as much, if not more so, I'm looking forward to it. Ultimately, I advise that you play around with different languages until you find one that you enjoy, that's a pretty significant factor to learning imo.
I prefer python or javascript, but really, just pick one. Chances are you will have occasion to learn them all to some extent. I would shy away from perl personally. Although it has a huge install base and CPAN is expansive. It doesn't seem as popular these days and you'll likely have a hard time finding as many up-to-date examples for current use cases.
Ruby has a huge community, and is very flexible. Python is not as flexible as ruby (this is true when you do a lot of meta programming). But, the real reason you should use ruby is, because you don't like the syntax of python. I wouldn't want to work with something I don't like. And you can use ruby even in apps which are not web apps.
Pick Python or Ruby and just go with it they both are pretty similar.<p>Perl is fine too but python and ruby are going to be a bit easier to do webby things with them (in regards to getting started).