I guess the best answer is the very last part of the "Prototypes" section of perlman:perlsub which concludes with:

And the split gets called in scalar context so it starts scribbling on your @_ parameter list. Ouch!

Effectively, using prototypes throws away one of the nicest and most unique features of perl, namely the context sensitivity of the calling eviroment. Using them renders wantarray superfluous.

Well It's better than the Abottoire, but Yorkshire!

In reply to Re: Are prototypes evil? by BrowserUk
in thread Are prototypes evil? by Django

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