The point of formatting one's code is to make the meaning clear to the reader. (...) I *think* I know what the second line does, but I'm not 100% sure.
Hmm.. While I agree that some extra parens do no harm, I somewhat oppose the thought that using a languages (well documented) feature is "criminal". Someone's lack of specific experience or routine or different minting (no offence here) is not the "fault" of those more experienced/differently originated [uh - if this is wrong english, someone /mgs me please]. In the end, wondering about such constructs teaches us in the long run, right?
Then again, I actually agree with both of you... ;) While it's perfectly ok to add "markup" for your own/teammates convenience, to me it's ok, ethically, to exploit ones abilities and the abilities of the tool one is using (ahh.. well, unless you're a sniper with a precision gun).
Smith, where Jones had had had had had had had had had had had the examiner's approval
Well, I don't mean to be pernickety (but, hell, I am ;), but I'm not sure wether this example fits, since in that sentence punctuation is not optional. In English, for good reasons, punctuation -- especially to evade ambiguity -- is mandatory, while in Perl there are clear rules how to parse an (unambigous) term. However, I still wonder what the solution to that sentence is!? ;)
So long,
Flexx