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Re: [PATCH] Remove implicit split to @_

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From:
Peter Scott
Date:
July 10, 2009 07:39
Subject:
Re: [PATCH] Remove implicit split to @_
Message ID:
20090710143905.24751.qmail@lists.develooper.com
On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:28:14 -0700, Chip Salzenberg wrote:

> This is an amusing discussion.
> 
> The only problem that I observe with scalar split writing to @_
> implicitly is that it's an easy thing to do by accident and is almost
> never useful. Therefore, removing it seems a public service.
> 
> I favor simply making it a compile-time error to use split in scalar
> context.  No problem with silently changing semantics and no more
> surprising behavior.  Everybody's happy.  (right?)

I don't get it.  The docs say that scalar split returns the number of 
elements.  That's useful and convenient, and more intuitive than some of 
the alternative gyrations that have been suggested.  No one cares about it 
shoving the contents in @_ or wants that to continue, especially since it 
results in a warning.  So why can't we make it return the number of 
elements without either populating @_ or generating a warning?  

-- 
Peter Scott
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