You've hit the nail right where it should be hit!

When explaining perl to beginners, I would not even consider explaining mro or why utf8 should or should not be used.

I'm very sorry to see so many posts in this thread about why what editor would be perfect under Windows. Who The Fuck cares! Most good Unix editors have a Windows port, and most have the same advantages over the other (or disadvantages) as they have on Linux/Unix. Programmers will use what they have, and will not go into a search for an editor when confronted with the task to write their first perl script. They will use notepad proably, and that suffices for now.

Does notepad support the typing of Unicode characters? Well that probably depends on what version of Windows they run, what their keyboard is set to (at the moment) and probable what service pack has been installed. All and all IMHO something you certainly do not want to address when telling beginners how to write a perl script.

YOU are a seasoned programmer. I know that. I have met you and talked to you, and I am aware that you know why you want to include these pragma's in every script you write. And there is nothing wrong with that. It is a well-defined decision and makes your programming life easier.

When I were to teach people perl from the start, I would include thee three basic lines from the start, and tell them that they will be explained later in the course, but that it is always a good idea to include them from the start. So, not the first thing. Certainly not.

Once they iunderstand the meaning of these pragma's - later in the course - I might hint them to easier ways to deal with them, but I would certainly not recommend them in class.