>>>>> "Michael" == Michael Lazzaro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

Michael> Do people really do that?  I must say, given that it looks *so
Michael> obviously* like it instead means [$a,$b,$c], I wonder if attempting to
Michael> take a reference to a list should be a compile-time error.

Michael> Note that this is still OK:

Michael>      \($a)     # same as \$a

Michael> because as previously discussed, it's the commas making the list, not
Michael> the parens.  But \($a,$b,$c) seems like a bug waiting to happen.  I
Michael> don't use it.  Can someone give an example of an actual, proper, use?

It was to make "pass by reference" easier, before prototypes if I recall:

        myfunc \($a, @b, %c);

which means the same as if we had said:

        sub myfunc (\$ \@ \%);
        myfunc($a, @b, %c);

Except that the prototyped version mandates the specific types.

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