In one sense, of course it is just as bad. It is a global. Same thing. Same problem. Sharing data across boundaries. As I point out in another post, passing by reference is also the same problem, same reasons, except that you have no opportunity to be explicit about what you are sharing, and have no opportunity for typo checks in your usage.

But there is a big benefit that you seem to have completely missed. The point of exporting functions etc is that it makes it much easier to rewrite code. You don't make any assumptions about where things are actually implemented, you just assume that they are available to you. And that means that if some functions in your package turn out to make more sense in another, you can go ahead and move them with very little editing.

You may think you are being careful by fully qualifying every function you use. I look at that and say that you are wasting a lot of typing to spread assumptions about where functions are implemented as widely in your code as you can. That is wasted typing for something that I consider a negative, not a benefit.

Now I am not saying to turn around and export everything. Export reasonably. Always through @EXPORT_OK so that people have to be explicit about where things came from. But exporting functions can be a good thing. Exporting variables, while not great, is often the best of bad choices. Being painfully explicit is just being painfully explicit. It may or may not be good, whether it is in any particular case is a judgement call.

In reply to Re (tilly) 4: Use globals or pass around everything under the sun? by tilly
in thread Use globals or pass around everything under the sun? by greywolf

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