Yes, I get the same "between the lines" impression, but that doesn't change the fact that such advice is just wrong.

Always use binmode() when dealing with binary data in files and never use bindmode() when dealing with only text data in files.

If you read a binary file without binmode() in DOS and expect to find the text bits in better shape, then you will be surprised when the binary data contains CTRL-Z and your program refuses to read past that, no matter how much text appears later in the file.

I find particularly unfortunate the "Should this happen to you" bit. "Well, I know it is possible that dealing with binary files w/o binmode() might cause problems but you should really wait to fix such problems until such time as you stumble upon them."

I'm disappointed at how frequently discussions of binmode() say stuff like "Use this if you aren't on Unix and...".

        - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")