use constant because then the perl compiler can use the preferred method to constantify it. In newer versions of perl (like say... 5.10), constants are much smaller but only if you're actually using the pragma that's been provided to you. In general, people making constants manually will just lose out and not get the benefit of the improvement.

So the point is, use the pragma and upgrades to perl can upgrade how your code runs.

pragmas are written with your version of perl's implementation in mind. When you fake that out, you're deciding on a particular version's functionality. The version you're using now doesn't necessarily benefit from the method you used.

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