I know we have gone over this all before, and merlyn has been 'attacked' for his answers before. Let's try not to repeat it.
An answer to an experienced Perl programmer can be more terse, but a newbie would benefit far more from a detailed explanation.
Why are you now splitting how he (or anyone) should answer? It takes enough time to answer, and now someone should evaluate the questioners experience before answering? How do you know what someone will benefit from? I don't always think that a long detailed answer is best for a newbie. Why? Because teaching them how to teach themselves can be more valuable that showing them the answer. Why are you picking on merlyn for this? Do you read others answers on this site? The range from "perldoc something" to long, overly detailed explinations. Everyone has their own style, which may change daily or hourly depending on mood or how busy one is. The important thing is that people participate. If you don't like someone short, terse answer.. noone is stopping you from expounding on it.
Cheers,
KM