It's not that the file is left open per se. Perl (and every other language worth using) doesn't necessarily flush buffers immediately. close() does an explicit flush and destroys the handle. However, if you let the variable fall off the end of the scope, now you're depending on destruction to close the handle (and flush the buffer). Destruction in Perl is neither ordered nor timely.
My criteria for good software:
  1. Does it work?
  2. Can someone else come in, make a change, and be reasonably certain no bugs were introduced?

In reply to Re^3: Implicit closing of files by dragonchild
in thread Implicit closing of files by rovf

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