Splutty,
To add to the previous answer(s), -1 is not a macro to say "the last element". It is an offset. Perl allows you to use negative offsets to access an array from either end. The range operator (see perlop) only works in ascending order though Perl 6 will greatly increase your flexibility.

Assume for a second you have a 4 element array and you want to take the slice 2 .. -2. 

                   2 with positive offset
my @array = (1, 2, 3, 4);
                  -2 with negative offset

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Don't you think it violates the principal of least suprise to expect Perl to realize you are taking an array slice, calculate the positive index of the negative offset and then create an ascending range for you?

Update: Phrased the last question better.

Cheers - L~R

In reply to Re: Reasoning behind -1 not working in slices? by Limbic~Region
in thread Reasoning behind -1 not working in slices? by Splutty

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