I hate style arguments. Look, we have perltidy. Any 'style' elements you don't like can probably be "corrected" by your .perltidyrc. If they can't, then as long as they don't make the code unintelligable -- and I mean truly unintelligable -- who cares? Adapt, already.

It's called "style" for a reason. Like styles of dress or decorating, coding style is largely an individual choice. Now, in corporate environments there are style standards, just like there are style standards in the form of dress codes. And, some very basic things can be applied to any public code -- after all, you can't walk around naked most places, there are minimum standards.

Beyond those "environmental minumums", though, if you're a big burly guy with a perpetual 5-o'clock shadow who prefers to wear a pink tu-tu -- what should I care? One of my cow-orkers insists on Hungarian notation (in Perl). I don't get it, but it helps him and doesn't significantly hurt me: all I ask is that he not get his undies in a bunch if I forget.

Having arguments about which style is "better" is largely like arguing the finer points of wearing pink tu-tu's. One might make the argument that a pink tu-tu makes just about anyone look silly; but what if someone wants to look silly? What if someone wants to use unless <cond> <action>? What does it really matter?

To be clear, I'm not talking about mistakes that are sometimes classified as style and have measurable changes. For example, using C-style for loops needlessly (easily causes bugs) or using open FH, "<$var"; (security risk). I'm talking about true "style" arguments.

Sure, suggest "hey, I see you had this problem -- here's a style tip for you". Hell, I'd suggest to a portly friend that horizontal stripes are probably not the best idea (I know this from experience, btw). But I wouldn't hit him over the head with it if he wanted to wear them anyway.