Also, if you're looking at timing code (for efficiency), consider using Benchmark and running your code 10K times. As far as for real-world uses of the tie function, think of it any sort of easy interface into perl's hash functionality...anything that you want to hide from the developer and just allow magic to happen.

Databases come to mind right off the bat, but also the Cache::Cache modules practically scream "tie me to a hash". It's an interface simplifier when you look at it for basic usage, but for more advanced usage, it can also be a legacy API emulator, and many many other powerful uses. Check around some of the uses, but also try Cache::Cache if you're looking for something to implement.

    --jb