> If an anonymous sub doesn't close over an external variable then it isn't a closure.

And if a named sub does, it's also a closure.

Indeed two unrelated concepts.

UPDATE

I just checked the etymology, the fact that the bound variables are not accessible from the outside of their defining scope makes the sub "closed".

{
    my $state = 42;

    sub closed_sub {
          return $state++;
    }
}

say closed_sub();  # 42
say closed_sub();  # 43
[download]

Contrary to subs binding global variables, which are "open".

{
    our $state = 42;

    sub open_sub {
          return $state++;
    }
}

say open_sub();    # 42
$main::state = 666;
say open_sub();  # 666
[download]

(of course Perl allows you to bind both kinds, so it's not an exclusive attribute here)

see references from WP:

---

---

Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!

Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.

Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.

Please read these before you post! —

• How do I compose an effective node title?
• How do I post a question effectively?
• Markup in the Monastery

Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:

a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr

You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)

	For:		Use:
	&		&
	<		&lt;
	>		&gt;
	[		&#91;
	]		&#93;

Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?

See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.