>>Public vars live beyond the end of the program that creates them. That is the difference and it is a BIG difference. Imagine developing an app and then later deciding to call it from another. The public vars in that app will outlive it and possibly cause problems in the calling app, however privates will go out of scope as soon as the main routine for the app ends preventing accidental problems with calling apps.
>
>It may not matter. Recognizing the requirement and delivering a solid solution (zested with a little sex appeal) overwhelms this kind of detail.
>
>John Lee Hooker (may he r.i.p.), played scratchy guitar, but his music was complete and we enjoyed the product.

The key word is in bold...why take the chance?