every module that uses print in a hidden fashion, should use local $\;

No way. Anybody who sets $\ should set it in a localized block when they do so. -l is there for one liners not real code. I _refuse_ to try to work around other people setting $\ stupidly. And for that matter simply localizing $\ in the module will not work. You'd have to do it in every single subroutine. And that means that every single subroutine that uses print is going to do an unecessary piece of work just to workaround somebody setting $\ stupidly. In essence I refuse to pay the price for somebody elses foolishness. And I dont see it as being reasonable to expect people to do so. Going down that road means that eventually somebody is going to argue that every single subroutine should localize all the global variables because of similar reasons.

Blech.