If you use a constant sub (declared with the constant pragma) then the code should get optimized away at compile time. 

use constant DEBUG => 0;
## ...
print "DEBUG: JINKIES!\n" if DEBUG();

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There's also an evil live comments module (specially formatted text in comments is printed as debugging output) that someone wrote but the name of which escapes me at the moment . . .

Update: Smart::Comments, that was it. Of course that gets the usual "source filters are teh debil" warnings.

In reply to Re: debug statements by Fletch
in thread debug statements by koknat

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