-- for lame anonymous reply.

I have yet to see a situation where required, consistant block indenting causes anything more than the most trivial problems. I've been using it (and about 15 other languages) for years.

...long lines that you want to split and indent further? I can see that causing issues that I would not characterize as "trivial".

Oh, consistancy is not all its cracked up to be. It can be a straightjacket. It may make learning easier in the early stages, but can impede advanced learning. Too much consistency can leave the language without enough conceptual texture. If everything works the same, how can you tell the difference. I don't recall where I saw the mention, but it was noted that natural languages have the most inconsistency in some of the most heavily used portions. Consider irregular verbs. Which ones are most commonly irregular? "to be" is frequently wildly irregular and is probably the most heavily used verb.

Perl may be excessively flexible, but you are not required to use all the flexibility. As chromatic noted, discipline is key to the appropriate use of flexibility.

yours,
Michael