"HN types" can't get rid of perl either. So just use perl if you want to. Personally I think perl is a terrible language and that anything which is too complex for a shell script (which is most things) should just be done in python. But if you disagree, it's not like anyone can stop you. If your issue is "my teammates hate it and want me to use something else", I promise you they will be just as annoyed if you use awk.