"And I didn't teach them to use strict and warnings in the very first class, because, despite the fact that I know all about them and use them all the time, that was simply too much information."

I still remember my very first Perl "lesson". The very first thing I was told was:

"Every Perl program you ever write will contain the lines use strict; and use warnings;. Do not ask why, just accept this for now and do it".

I'm so glad I was told this, and I think that anyone that is just starting out learning Perl and is not being told this is being done a dis-service.

So I disagree with you. It is not too much information at all. It is probably one of the most vital bits of information a newcomer needs, and definitely should be included in the first lesson.

Note that I'm not advocating that you try to explain why strictures and warnings are useful, or when they could be avoided. This would definitely be too much information. People can find this out for themselves at a later stage. What's most important is to get them into good habits right from the start. Where strictures are concerned, I'd say it's a case of "Use them because I tell you to. When you've learned enough to understand why they are useful, then you can decide for yourself."

Cheers,
Darren :)