Re^3: GOTO or not GOTO

You don't say why you find the goto version more attractive. I guess because of the separate declaration and initialization of $status. However:

my $status;

do {
    $status = getstore (ask_url (), $file);
} while $status == 200 && !-s $file && --$max_tries > 0;
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makes it clear that there is a loop involved and what the conditions on the loop are. Having $status declared outside the loop makes it clear that $status is required after the loop has terminated.

Perl's payment curve coincides with its learning curve.

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Re^4: GOTO or not GOTO by JavaFan (Canon) on Jan 27, 2009 at 22:17 UTC
But that suggests the loop is "normal". It isn't. Repeating a piece of the code is the exception - it may be repeated once every couple of thousand of times. Normal program flow just goes top to bottom. Using a rare construct (goto) signifies that. Using a regular loop doesn't. And I prefer not to have a separate declaration and initilization. But that only plays a part in the decision.	[reply]