[MacPorts] #50062: Please restore the ability to install stable Perl versions from 5.8 onward.

[Daniel J. Luke]

On Dec 22, 2015, at 3:25 PM, David Evans <devans at macports.org> wrote:
> On 12/22/15 10:46 AM, Felipe Gasper wrote:
>> How about just removing the modules and just leaving the interpreter, then, along with associated scripts like “cpan”?
>> That will allow for quick and easy (re-)installation of modules.
>> 
>> I myself keep the multiple Perl interpreters around more to compare core features in the language than anything else.
> 
> There's not much hope at this point for the official restoration of these older perl ports.  After much discussion on
> the various lists, the process to remove them began over a year ago.  Support for non-core Perl modules for these ports
> was discontinued in January of 2015. Removal of support for perl variants +perl5_8, +perl5_10, +perl5_12, +perl5_14
> began in February and has been ongoing throughout this year.  It's only this month that the perl interpreters themselves
> were finally retired. No current ports depend upon them.
> 
> The current plan is to continue this effort with a target to remove support for perl5.16 perl5.18 perl5.20 as soon as
> current dependencies can be removed and only provide support for the current stable version of perl from that point forward.
> 
> It would take a major outpouring of demand for the old multiple perl version system and a corresponding major offering
> of manpower to maintain it to change this plan.  Realistically, I don't see this happening.
> 
> For users who would like to checkout svn versions of these, now officially discontinued, perl versions (perl5.8 perl5.10
> perl5.12 perl5.14) for their own use, without any warranty or support, see "How to install an older version of a port".
> 
> https://trac.macports.org/wiki/howto/InstallingOlderPort#Howtoinstallanolderversionofaport.
> 
> Again, the most recent svn revision before they were removed was r131310.

If someone out there is really interested in supporting all of the old perl versions, it would be possible for him/her to run his/her own local repo (and share it with others).

I highly suspect that anyone who needs this is going to be happier with perlbrew manging multiple perl installations and MacPorts being able to make stuff with perl 'just work' for the majority of users.

-- 
Daniel J. Luke                                                                   
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