For part 1), you might have to ignore the Getopt:: schtuff and just roll your own by hacking through @ARGV. It's ugly, it's messy, its mama dresses it funny, but it can work. I don't recommend it if you can avoid it, but sometimes ya gots ta do what ya gots ta do, especially when there's a deadline. Just don't expect leaps of joy and shouts of happiness when you go through a code review.