I think PHP is a very powerful language for the skills it requires to learn it. Unless you have no prior programming experience whatsoever, it shouldn't be that hard to learn.
I'd say if you know more than just standard HTML, it wouldn't be the hardest thing to learn considering what it is capable of these days.
PHP.net and Google.com are great places to start.
I don't know that much about Perl and CGI, as I have never really tried to learn them.
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