References are a single item, while lists are the entire list. In terms of speed, it's more expensive to pass a list than an single item. However, "better" is a relative term, so without more context...

In reply to Re: Is it better to return a hash of hashes or a reference to a hash of hashes? by merlyn
in thread Is it better to return a hash of hashes or a reference to a hash of hashes? by uwevoelker

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