[wxkn]

That's true, but it's worth mentioning that using the regexes in perl is quick and even fun to write. They are built-in to the language. some people find it very convenient.

[jrumbut]

Also the Perl community has been pushing the boundaries of regex and text processing generally.

If you find yourself in a place with frequent one-off text wrangling or Unix admin problems some Perl knowledge is worthwhile.