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#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w
use strict;
...
  $count += () = glob ("$dir/.[^.]*");
  $count-=2; 
}

Benchmark: timing 1000 iterations of glob, merlyn_1, merlyn_2...
      glob:  6 wallclock secs ( 4.55 usr +  1.55 sys =  6.10 CPU) @ 16
+3.93/s (n=1000)
...
glob      164/s       --     -90%     -92%
merlyn_2 1562/s     853%       --     -22%
merlyn_1 2000/s    1120%      28%       --

           Rate     glob merlyn_2 merlyn_1
glob     37.0/s       --     -91%     -93%
merlyn_2  400/s     982%       --     -22%
merlyn_1  513/s    1287%      28%       --

           Rate     glob merlyn_2 merlyn_1
glob     3.04/s       --     -92%     -93%
merlyn_2 38.0/s    1150%       --      -7%
merlyn_1 40.7/s    1242%       7%       --