Java would objectively not be a better approach, unless you can tell me a simple way to make a Java class accessible in an object-oriented interface to a Perl programmer. My goal is to create a module for perl to parse Poser documents. Java would not help me at all to that end. I don't know XS well enugh to use the C++ Poser library(ies) or I might consider that a valid approach -- many Perl modules actually hook into and use C libs instead of coding in Perl from scratch, and such a module would be tremendously usable to a Perl programmer. A Java class, whether it's already been coded or not, is of no use to a Perl programmer whatsoever. So no, Java would not be a better approach.