Perl Best Practices tells you the two best ways to do it and why.

No, it does not. Please, do read the introduction of the book, and act upon it.

PBP discusses two ways of opening files, and gives reasons why you may pick these ways in your style of programming.

So many people wield PBP and act as if it's gospel. I seriously believe the Perl community would have been better off if the book was never written. (Not because of its content, but because of religious zealots treating it as word of god).