I didnt get an answer for this in the Python thread, so I'll ask here: Why do variables have to have the local keyword to make their scope local? Why cant it just use implicit lexical scope like most any other languages?
Why do variables have to have the local keyword to make their scope local? local in Perl is unfortunately named. You want the Huffmanized my. You also want use strict which (also unfortunately) isn't default to make it easier to spot perl scripts written by people who have yet to learn the language.