use strict; Second- Does it use strict? Variables must be properly declared before use Bareword identifiers must be subroutines You can't use symbolic references such as: use strict; $ref = "foo"; # Global symbol "$string" requires explicit package name print $$ref; # Can't use string ("foo") as a SCALAR ref while "strict refs" in use $string = blah; # Bareword "blah" not allowed while "strict subs" in use