1. ...How is that easier then...

Writing the script is not much more complex but invoking it (on a Windows machine) is easier if you don't have to pass the extra argument.

2. ...you should be able to simplify about 20 lines of initialization with something like...

True. I find mine easier to understand, but I can see yours has its benefits.

3. ...seems like the worst possible behavior you could have as a fallback...

You are right. In my case these sections are never invoked, so its not an issue.

4. File::Find is your friend.

Yes, OK. But I had the subroutine already written so rather than spend time looking at the existing package I just grabbed it. Pure lazyness I admit.