Also, Perl 5 is feature-stable, and probably always will be. Python is in this 2.x-3.x limbo right now where it's difficult to find libraries that are going to work as-is for much longer. If you write a Perl application well, maintenance will as easy as reasonably possible, which I think is the only real measure of a good language. Most of the 'ease of use' problems disappear once you know what you're doing, and the language learning curve is a relatively small part of a programmer's life-cycle.
Since 2.x is just as feature stable and was just released in the last incarnation (2.7) before an "extended maintenance period", I do believe the limbo you speak of isn't an issue for anyone actually using Python.
I can imagine it looking worrisome from the outside, though.
Perl 6 is not meant to interoperate directly with Perl 5. It's not an incremental update in any way. IMO, it would be a lot clearer if Perl 6 weren't called Perl.
Also, Perl 5 is feature-stable, and probably always will be. Python is in this 2.x-3.x limbo right now where it's difficult to find libraries that are going to work as-is for much longer. If you write a Perl application well, maintenance will as easy as reasonably possible, which I think is the only real measure of a good language. Most of the 'ease of use' problems disappear once you know what you're doing, and the language learning curve is a relatively small part of a programmer's life-cycle.