How does say vs print affect performance or memory usage?

In Perl, the difference between `say` and `print` can have implications on performance and memory usage. Both functions are used for output, but they differ in functionality and behavior.

In general, the `print` function outputs text without appending a newline at the end, while `say` includes a newline automatically. This means that using `say` may result in slightly more memory usage if you are frequently appending newlines, as it requires handling additional formatting.

The impact on performance is usually negligible for small outputs but can become significant in loops or large-scale applications. In such cases, `print` might perform better since it gives you more control over the output format. However, the difference is often minimal, and the choice between `say` and `print` should often come down to code clarity and readability.

Here's a simple example illustrating the usage of `say` and `print`:

# Example of using print and say use feature 'say'; # Using print print "Hello, World!"; # No newline print "This is a test."; # No newline # Using say say "Hello, World!"; # Automatically adds a newline say "This is a test."; # Automatically adds a newline

Perl say print performance memory usage output newline code clarity